Renewal - Winterwolf
by Azenor Sage
Summary: In the aftermath of the Potter's betrayal and death, Remus Lupin mourns the loss of his friends even as he reels from the betrayal of his old friend, Sirius Black. A chance encounter with one of Sirius Black's paramours gives Remus the golden opportunity that he thought he would never have, to raise a child as his very own.
1. Chapter 1

_I hope that my dear readers can forgive me for doing this, but I had to rewrite parts of this chapter. The whole background of how Remus met Sylvia and how they came to be close is now different from the original idea. I think this works out better for my overall plotline. Thanks to a few reviews and message exchanges from a very nice reviewer, I realized that my timeline about Sylvia's pregnancy and Orion's birth were inaccurate. Orion is born on July 29, 1980. He was born premature by two months. So this means that Sylvia could not have been pregnant with Orion in early November of 1980. So I needed to rewrite this to change this huge goof that I had made! I hope everyone likes the changes.  
_

 _\- Azenor Sage._

* * *

Chapter 1: Over and Done

Pazieg, Brittany, France

January 27, 1986

The morning started out as normal as possible for Remus Lupin, as normal as any morning just after the full moon could be. He groaned from his position on the cellar floor. Slowly, he eased himself up and looked around the room to inspect it for damages. He winced when he saw that he had, in his transformed state, clawed through the dense cushions that lined the walls to the brick and steel behind them. He had long ago renovated a World War II bomb shelter into a prison to hold him on the full moon nights. Every full moon he sealed up his home and placed the protective wards on it to protect what was within. Then he made his way to the shelter which he then set up wards, charms, and jinxes to ensure that he was truly sealed within. He also locked himself away behind caged doors that were magically sealed and had a timer that would not release him until true morning light.

He had almost attacked a fellow student while he was enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he did not want to risk a repeat of that near disaster. He had been such a fool then, allowing his friends to let him loose during the full moon so that they could run with him in their animagus forms. While it assisted the Wolf within him to some extent, it didn't outweigh that letting him loose put everyone else in mortal danger. He had vowed never again would he roam free in his wolf form on the full moon night after that incident. He had done his best to obey his own vow since then.

Suddenly he heard the whirring sound of the many locks opening as they began to recognize that it was at last morning. The steel barred door clicked, and Remus crawled toward it and pushed the door open. He slowly used the door to help him gain his feet. He was tired, so tired, but he couldn't stay there. He needed to get back to the house.

It was a slow process as Remus managed to stumble across the yard, exhausted from his night of transformation into a Werewolf, but at long last, he made it safely to the back door of the kitchen. A mop of dark curls a smooth pale brow, and rich blue eyes peeked at him from the window at the kitchen door and then it disappeared. The locks turned, and the door was pulled open. Remus gratefully entered the house and then stared at the child, his precious child who had been forced yet again to spend the night alone, while Remus underwent the effects of his curse.

Orion Lupin smiled at him with warm affection. "Dad, I'm glad you are alright," the boy said as he finished his own perusal of Remus. Apparently, the child could find no open wounds nor any new scars to be terribly concerned about. That was good. He disliked upsetting Orion for any reason.

He smiled at his son as he walked further into the kitchen. "Have you tried to eat anything yet?" he asked of the child. Though Orion was not allowed to use the stove without permission, they did have a muggle microwave and a muggle toaster. He had taught the boy long ago how to use the toaster to make toast and the microwave for other pastries and bread.

"I wasn't hungry," Orion admitted. "I was waiting for you to come back."

"Oh Ori," Remus said and then gave into the urge that had plagued him since he saw the boy. He hugged the child close to him and kissed the mop of messy curls. "I'll get a quick shower and then cook you breakfast," he said.

"No, you won't!" Orion exclaimed, "You'll get a healing bath. I already ran the bath for you and put in the healing medicine. You just need to relax and feel better. I can make myself toast and jam."

"That's not a hearty breakfast, pup," Remus said sternly.

Orion seemed to think that over. "Alright, then you can make us a big lunch."

Remus laughed as he noted the sparkle in the child's blue eyes. "I'm not going to win this one. Alright, I'll make you a big lunch and, in the meantime, I will obey you and take that bath."

Orion's lips curved up into a mischievous smile and it made Remus's heart ache. At that moment, Orion looked so very much like how his birth father must have looked at that age. Every now and then Orion did little things, had little expressions that reminded Remus so very much of Sirius Black that it was painful.

Remus had been devastated by the murder of his friends James, Lily, and Peter. Murders that had been caused by one of his best friends Sirius Black. What had turned Sirius into such a monster? Remus thought it was too long exposed to Sirius's family. Sirius had always spoken so horribly about his family. Remus remembered all too well the horror stories about Sirius's mother. His younger brother might have been a decent sort, but Remus never really got to know the boy. Remus remembered that Bellatrix Lestrange was Sirius's cousin and he shivered at the thought of a child growing up in a family that could produce anyone the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange. The thought of exposing Orion to those horrible people was enough to make him growl. He would never let Orion become the monster that his birth father had become.

Remus retreated to the bathroom. He was swift in shedding his clothing and he tested the water's temperature before he got into the tub. He sighed in delight. Without fail Orion always drew him a bath at the end of the full moon and without fail it was always just the perfect temperature no matter how long ago it was that Orion had run it. He was sure it was magic on his pup's part, but he couldn't prove it without witnessing it. That Orion was a Wizard was without doubt to Remus. He could practically smell the magic building inside of the boy, every day growing stronger.

He let himself glance at his surroundings and he sighed happily and whispered a softer prayer of thanks to Sylvia de Rais. He was thankful for her foolishness in sleeping with Sirius. He was thankful for her approaching him in her desperation over her pregnancy. He was thankful to her for befriending him and giving him a trade.

The first time he had met Sylvia de Rais was when she was moving into her London apartment. She was moving into the one just down the hall from Sirius and Remus had been half living out of Sirius's apartment when he was in England and not in Europe attempting to chase down Werewolf Packs for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. She had been an attractive blonde and Remus had felt an immediate pull toward her. He had offered to help her move the boxes into her apartment. Afterward, Sylvia had insisted on paying for his dinner and she took him down the street to a café that he favored that served fabulous food for a cheap price. She had joked that she didn't have the money to give him a better meal, but she did want to show him some appreciation for his help. Remus had been immediately smitten with the pretty blonde with the French accent. Their friendship had started that day and Remus had guarded it zealously. He didn't tell Sirius anything about having met Sylvia. He didn't tell anyone about her. He did continue to meet her for little coffee dates and friendly dinners when their schedules would permit.

Sylvia had owned a small bookstore in London and another larger one in Rennes, across the channel in her native Brittany. Sylvia's specialty was the restoration of old manuscripts. Remus enjoyed hearing about Sylvia's work in restoration. It had sounded so fascinating and he had longed to do the work himself. They shared a passion for the written word and could talk for hours about books ranging from the classics of antiquity to more modern-day thrillers.

Remus thought of Sylvia often when he was away on missions for The Order of the Phoenix. He had grown more distant from James, Sirius, and Peter. He was rarely in England and when he was, he made sure that he spent most of his free time with Sylvia. He loved her. He had fallen in love with her, but he could never tell her. She was a Muggle and he was a Werewolf. The statute of Secrecy forbade him from telling her anything. Even if she ever learned about his world, didn't she deserve better than a Werewolf? She deserved a better Wizard, one without his affliction. It didn't stop him from loving her. It didn't stop him from thinking of her at night and wishing that he was holding her.

It was in late January in 1980 that Sylvia told him she was pregnant. She had asked him if he knew Sirius Black. When he admitted that he did, she had asked him what he knew of Sirius. He felt his heart shatter and he felt rage fill him because he knew, Remus could tell that she was one of Sirius's paramours. He wanted to rage and growl, howl in agony when she told him that she had engaged in a one-night-stand with Sirius and now she was pregnant with his child.

She didn't know what to do about her circumstances. She didn't want to tell Sirius about the child because it was only one night and clearly if Sirius had wanted anything to do with her he would have sought her out, he knew she lived just down the hall. Instead, Sylvia had gotten the impression that Sirius had tried to avoid bumping into her. Remus doubted there had been that much thought on Sirius's part. She probably had not seen him because he had been apparating into his apartment instead of using the stairs, but he couldn't tell her that.

She didn't really know what to do with the child, particularly since she would be raising the child alone and she didn't know how to juggle childcare and the career she was trying to build. She had not really thought that Sirius would want the child either, but she thought perhaps he had relatives that would take the child. She informed Remus that other than a very old Great-Aunt she didn't have anyone, and her Great-Aunt was completely out of the question.

He had then told her that he would be willing to take the child when she gave birth to it. Sylvia had been so relieved, and Remus told himself that this was the right thing to do. Remus had often lamented that he would never be a father. He was too afraid of passing on any of his werewolf traits to a child. Studies said that children of Werewolves were not able to transform during the full moon, but they still had some of the wolf's instincts and characteristics. Remus shuddered to think of passing any of his curse on to an innocent child. This though, raising Sylvia's child, it was a way for him to be a father, and a way to take care of an innocent child. It was a way for him to protect something of Sylvia's.

Remus had unofficially left the Order of the Phoenix. He moved with Sylvia to her home in Rennes, France. They had happy days where she taught him to speak French, he was horrible at it at first, but he was determined to learn the nuances of the language. France was going to be his home now and he needed to fit in as best he could. He had become her assistant and had soon surpassed her skills, unsurprising considering he used magic to help him along. Of course, he kept that little fact hidden from Sylvia.

When Remus was feeling nostalgic like this, he was willing to admit truths that he usually kept at bay. He had been in love with Sylvia by the end of the first day he had met her. It was the sort of things he had scoffed at in books, but it had happened to him. By the end of five hours in her company, his heart had belonged completely to Sylvia de Rais, it beat only for her.

Sylvia had been sickly during the last two months of her pregnancy and the doctors had worried about her. Remus had not understood what was wrong, but he knew she was growing increasingly frail and he could smell death upon her. He hated it. It had made him feel helpless. He had doted upon her, doing all sorts of things for her as she got worse and worse. He had felt like his heart was ripped out of him when she died just hours after giving birth to little Orion. When little Ori could travel, he took the baby to the little village of Pace, better known as Pazieg to the locals, so that he could present Orion to Sylvia's Great-Aunt Marianne.

He had met the aged woman several times in Sylvia's company, but this time felt different. They were both aggrieved, both in mourning. They both wondered what might have been if Sylvia had lived.

"She was always delicate when she was a child," Marianne had told him. "Her health so frail. As a teenager, she improved. The doctors seemed to think she'd live a long healthy life so long as she did not wish to have children. It hurt Sylvie, but she agreed it was best. There were so many children that could be adopted. There was always time to decide," Marianne had laughed bitterly then.

"But then she had met that young man and had slept with him and became pregnant. The idea of abortion was abhorrent to Sylvia, so she chose to carry it, and then give her child to the one who would cherish him most, to you," Marianne had looked at Orion then and smiled a bittersweet smile. "Remus, she loved you."

He had been startled by this revelation. Sylvia had never spoken of her feelings for him going so deep. He wished that she had. He wished that she had said that she loved him. He wished that he had told her that he loved her, if only once before she was gone. She had deserved to hear it.

"And I love you too," Marianne had continued. "Sylvia and I talked about it in the last few months. She knew that the likelihood of survival was slim. She made out her will and I agreed with her decisions. Don't try to fight it, Remus just accept it with grace."

Remus had been surprised by the contents of Sylvia's Last Will and Testament. Other than a few bequeaths of some of her precious books to a few of her friends she had left the bulk of her estate to Remus Lupin in care of Orion Lupin, her son. Remus had found himself the owner of a townhouse in Rennes, owner of the De Rais Books both the store in London and the older and more prosperous store in Rennes. She had left him her home in Rennes and her London flat. He was also the owner of the Cottage in Pace that Marianne lived in but there were conditions drawn to ensure that Marianne would be permitted to live at the cottage as she pleased for the rest of her days. Remus had been overwhelmed and grateful to Sylvia. When he had met her, he had been a man who had lost everything that he truly cared about. She had given him her friendship, her son, and her life's work.

After Marianne's death when Orion was two years of age, Remus had renovated parts of the cottage property to be able to contain him while he was transformed during the full moon. He then began a cycle where he worked three months in Rennes and then he left for a week with Orion to the cottage to spend a week there away from the hustle and bustle of city life. During the week of his absence, the store was run by his friend and employee Jacques Morbanne.

Remus allowed himself to stay in the tub until the healing herbs lost their potency. The water was chilled, and his skin was moisture wrinkled when he finally arose from the tub and began to dry off. He was all too happy to put on the soft lounge slacks and a gray t-shirt that had been set aside for him. He donned his robe and put his feet into his slippers. He combed his hair and sighed as he noticed the few gray hairs. He was aging more swiftly than most his age. It was part of him being a werewolf, he knew. The transformation was hard on the body and the wolf often turned on itself while caged. More than once, Remus had returned to the House bleeding from various scratches that his own claws had burrowed into his flesh.

He met his blue eyes in the mirror and held his own gaze for a few moments. Amber danced in his irises, mixing with the blue. Another sign that the Wolf within was still too close to the surface. His temper could be in-sighted more easily on days like this, but fortunately, he only had plans to spend the day relaxing with his son.

Speaking of the mischievous little angel, he needed to get downstairs and make a large lunch for them both. He smiled as he made his way from the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. His boy was in the kitchen sitting at the table with a book on the table before him. The boy was reading softly out loud, sounding out the words on the pages. His reading skills were two levels above most boys his age thanks to their mutual love of books. Orion read most of the time that they were in Rennes. Their townhouse didn't have a large garden, but Orion did make good use of the space to play energetic games. Still, the boy preferred to read to almost any other type of entertainment. Remus was sure he must have gotten that from Sylvia since Sirius usually could not be counted upon the sit still for five seconds.

"Hey cub, what would you like for lunch?" he asked.

The child looked up at him and he smiled hesitantly. "I got out steaks," he said and pointed to the counter. "I thought that you might need it after last night."

Remus nodded in understanding. It always helped him to regain his strength more swiftly after a full moon night for him to eat red meat. "Steak it is," he agreed with the child, and then he went over to the counter and swiftly opened the cabinet above looking for a platter. Once he found what he was searching for, he made swift work of washing the meat and then beginning to season it.

He stole glances at Orion as the boy continued to read, this time in silence. "Read to me," he commanded the boy.

The child blinked in surprise. "Umm…" Orion nibbled on his bottom lip, a trait that painfully reminded him of Sylvia. "Do you want me to start back at the beginning of the chapter?"

Remus smiled and shook his head in the negative. "No, there's no need to go so far back. Just start from where you were reading," he reassured his boy.

"Alright!" Orion brightened up at this. He cleared his throat slightly and then began to read aloud to him as Remus prepared their lunch. Remus was surprised but pleased to hear his cub reading a well-beloved children's fantasy novel to him.

After lunch, Remus and Orion curled up together on the couch and the two of them alternated reading chapters of the book to one another. Remus smiled at one point when he realized that the boy had dozed off. He kissed the boy's black curls and smiled.

He would never have thought that he could be so content and happy. He never really thought he could have a child, a trade, a good life. He was so grateful to Sylvia and he always would be.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Restoring Manuscripts

De Rais Books, Rennes, Brittany, France

February 1, 1986

He frowned in thought as he stared at the old torn-up book upon his worktable. He had agreed to the commission to mend the book just a few days after his return from Pazieg. It would not be terribly difficult for him to mend the spine of the book, but there were pages within that were weather damaged. Some of the pages looked as if they had been left too long in a wet environment. There was moisture damage, though not consistent with the book having been in a pool of water. Remus was not sure he could have fixed the pages had they sat in water, but he was pretty sure he could improve the pages, restoring them to what they might have been before they suffered the moisture damage.

He chose to start with the spine of the book. The paste had long ago ceased to do its job in holding the pages to it. It was the ancient threading that still kept all of the pages together. Remus picked up his tweezers and used it to gently peel the old spine away from the book. He then focused on the cover of the book. A fine old dragon hide leather, Opal-Eye Dragon if he was not mistaken. The dragon hide had seen better days but it must have been well treated when it was first used to make up the book since it had held together better than the spine and the inner pages. He turned away from his table to look at the shelves behind him. There were a few jars and even more tools behind him. He searched the jars until he came upon the one that was labeled "Dragon Hide Strengthener and Polish". He grabbed the jar and then turned back to place it upon his work table. He then turned back to the shelves and searched among his many brushes until he found the one he wanted.

Once he turned back to the work table he opened the jar and then used the brush to stir the contents within. He then brought the brush out and after removing some of the coating on the inner edge of the jar, he gently began to dab and paint the strengthener onto the dragon hide covering. He was pleased to see it soaking into the hide. He was even more gratified to realize that he had been correct about the cover being that of an Opal-Eye Dragon. As the hide began to soak in the restorative and strengthener it no longer appealed white. The opal sheen began to shimmer with each new coat of the restorative.

Remus smiled in pleasure and then recapped the jar and he put the brush in the basin of water that stood beside his work table. He then turned his attention back to the pages of the book. This part was trickier because it would rely on his magic to restore the pages. He frowned as he gently turned the pages, scanning each one for the moisture damage. There was nothing for it, he would have to go through it a page at a time. It would not be that difficult, but it would be time consuming.

He took up his wand and began to get to work. He lost himself in the turning of pages and the muttering of spells to restore the book to a former glory. He was not restoring it to how it looked at its first printing. He had been asked to let the book keep an ancient or antique look and so he would do so. He was grateful to do so since it was already time consuming work and restoring a book to like new printing took up a lot of magical power for Remus.

In truth, the hardest part of most of these projects was Remus's own love of reading. It was frustrating at times restoring books and not getting the chance to read them. It was why he copied most of the books that he restored. Of course, he did not sell any of those books. They were taken home and put in the private library that he was building. He and Orion enjoyed reading and anytime he could bring home a book that Orion might one day enjoy made Remus happy.

Time continued to move but Remus barely stirred except in the movement of the pages of the book and the waving of his wand and his lips to murmur incantations. Orion had once told him that after a while it sounded almost as though Remus were singing a song rather than whispering a spell. That the words came together in a melodic way that Orion enjoyed. Remus had then explained to his son that there were rumors that once long ago there were wizards so powerful that their magic was as song. Orion had been fascinated ever since and he had wondered often if there were books about such magics out there or of such Wizards. If there were, then Remus had not yet come across such books. He'd told his boy that, but it didn't keep Orion from dreaming, from wondering.

"Remus," a voice called out to him and Remus blinked for a moment pulling his gaze from the book and clearing his mind of the daze he had been in. After a while of working on pages, Remus had a tendency of going into a sort of trance where he kept turning pages and whispering the correct incantation to fix each page. Now that he had shaken himself from the daze he could see the sunlight through the window was no longer as bright. It was nearing sunset.

He turned his gaze to the doorway of his workshop and smiled at his friend and employee, Jacques Morbanne. "Jacques, did you need something?"

"I thought you needed a reminder of the time. Also, you have a customer," he fidgeted slightly then. "The customer is Lord Delacour."

Remus frowned in thought. He had taken some pains in learning who the greater lords of the French Wizarding World were. The Delacour's were a premiere French family. They were trendsetters and very popular with the French Wizarding Populace. Their popularity was akin to the popularity of the Malfoy family in Britain.

He knew a little bit about Lord Delacour's politics. He was an advocate for the rights of all magical citizens. As far as Lord Delacour was concerned this meant all sentient beings with magical blood. He felt a Werewolf should have as many rights as he did, and he was quite vocal about it in sessions of the ICW, the International Confederation of Wizards. The man had married a full-blooded Veela and he had often said in public that he was the proud mate of a beautiful Veela woman, and that she had honored him by wanting him to be hers.

In many ways Remus preferred life in France to that of Britain. Creatures such as himself had rights in France that they did not in Britain. He was amazed to learn that a Werewolf child could attend either Beauxbatons or Durmstrang without any problems about their enrollment. They were to be escorted away from the school to a safe location for the full moon nights by either a family member or a trusted member of the school faculty or Board of Governors. Why couldn't that be the case in Britain? He had been forced to hide himself and was made aware that just being allowed to attend Hogwarts was a huge risk that the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was taking for his sake.

Why had he taken the risk? His father had not been a close associate of Dumbledore's. Remus's parents had nothing that they could offer Albus, they did not have connections. When he was younger he had just thought that Albus was incredibly kind, but he was a man now and he knew better. Few people in the world did anything for free. So, if Dumbledore had not wanted something from his parents then he must have seen some sort of opportunity in Remus. What it was, Remus still did not know.

He knew that he preferred France to Britain and he wanted to raise Orion here in the less prejudiced atmosphere than Wizarding Britain. Men like Lord Delacour had helped to make this a better environment. For that reason alone he should agree to see the man.

"Please show him in to the workshop," he said and then he paused as he looked at the sunlight that was showing it to be late afternoon. "Orion?"

"He's been here for two hours," Jacques reassured him. "He's out front now speaking with Lord Delacour."

Remus chuckled, "Heaven only knows what sort of impression he is making."

Jacques nodded. "I'll go now and bring Lord Delacour to you," the man said and then he was gone, leaving Remus alone once more. Remus looked about him and thought for a moment about cleaning up the work table and then he thought better of it. He did take up the jar of dragon hide restorative and place it back on his shelf. It turned out that was all he really had time for because Jacques had returned with Lord Delacour.

"Lord Delacour, this is Remus Lupin, De Rais Books chief and restorationist," Jacques introduced him. "Remus this is Lord Delacour."

"It's my pleasure to meet you Lord Delacour," Remus said with a bow to the man. He had seen the man in the Wizarding Newspapers, but he was surprised by just how much the man looked like Abraxas Malfoy. They both had long white blond hair and fair features. Lord Delacour's features were less harshly masculine than Lord Malfoy's, his jaw-line more delicate and cheekbones slightly higher. Still there was a great resemblance. He thought as though he was staring at an older Lucius Malfoy of all things, and that was strange.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Lupin. I have heard great things said about your professional manners and your excellent work. I hoped you might take a look at a book for me and consider whether you could restore it for me," he said in a pleasant and cultured voice.

"It would be my honor, Lord Delacour," Remus swiftly assured him. He then looked to Jacques. "Jacques, could you keep an eye on Orion for me?"

Jacques smiled and nodded. "But of course, Remus," he said. "He's one of our better assets after all."

Remus smiled even as Lord Delacour chuckled. "Your boy was most pleasant company as I awaited an audience," Lord Delacour reassured Remus.

"Thank you. He's a good boy," Remus said simply.

Lord Delacour nodded his agreement. "He's a tribute to you and your wife," he complimented.

Remus flushed then. "Oh no, Lord Delacour, I am not married. I.." he paused and considered what to say about his relationship with Sylvia. In the end, he settled for a half-truth. "I am a widower. Orion's mother died just a few hours after she gave birth to him. It's just Orion and I now."

Lord Delacour looked troubled then. "I am truly sorry," he said gently. "I had heard that your book store had been your wife's dowry and I just assumed."

Remus smiled at him. "Think nothing of it. You could not have known. I do not speak much about Sylvia, not because I do not cherish her memory, but because I have moved past the pain. Orion and I are happy."

The older man nodded in understanding and then he put his hand into the inner pocket of his coat and within a moment he drew out a small book. Then he waved a hand over the book and muttered a spell to return the book to it's appropriate size.

Remus's eyes widened as he stared at the book. "This, this is," he trailed off as he gently ran a hand over the cover of the book. He raised his head to stare up at Lord Delacour and met the other man's violet eyes.

"The Song of Wandering Souls," Lord Delacour murmured softly as he stared at Remus. "I see you are not only a restorationist, but a true connoisseur of literature."

Remus ignored the compliment entirely, unable to focus on anything other than the fact that one of the copies of The Song of Wandering Souls sat on his workshop table. There had only ever been five copies of the book ever made and now one of those copies was sitting here, in his workshop.

"It is a copy?" he finally asked of Lord Delacour.

The man smiled at him. "It is the last known copy out of the original five," he admitted pleasantly. "The others have been consumed by flame and water it would seem. We Delacour's like to take better care of our books, but still this one is in need of care due to the ravages of time."

He nodded to indicate that he understood what Lord Delacour had revealed to him. "Of course, even the passage of time can be cruel to books," he said as he slowly unclicked the latch upon the book and winced when he felt the pin prick sensation.

"It takes your blood to open the book," Lord Delacour revealed then. "It will not open for just anyone. Now it shall open for you and for anyone with the blood Delacour. It will allow you to do your work on the book without a Delacour needing to remain always with you for you to open the latching."

Remus nodded his understanding once more. He had restored a few ancient books that had only been attuned to blood magics of their owners. He then turned to the title page and thumbed through the first few pages. "Do you know what sort of paper this is?" he asked of the Lord. Just by the feel of it, Remus thought it might be Merovingian Vellum from the 690's but he was not positive.

"Merovingian Vellum," Lord Delacour responded proving Remus was correct.

"As I thought," Remus declared with a small smile. "The book is in very good condition, you have treated it quite well. Because the pages are Merovingian Vellum it might take me at least a month to complete the process of restoration. I am in the process of finishing a book for a client. I should only be three days more at the most in working on it. Then to rest my magic, I always take two days off before beginning a new book for a client."

"That is satisfactory. A month, not counting the week of your full moon of course," Lord Delacour said and at Remus's surprised look he chuckled. "I did do a little homework on you Mr. Lupin. I knew that you were a Werewolf. There is nothing wrong with what you are, do not let others make you think that there is. Some people are very narrow minded, they do not help our world move forward, only ever backward."

"You are not a very traditional Lord," Remus mused aloud and then cringed hoping he had not offended his new client.

The man smirked and in that moment he really did remind Remus of Lucius Malfoy. "I think you will find that I am traditional in that view. It is not an old-fashioned view that those with Creature blood be considered outcasts. That is a newer viewpoint that was brought about by Muggle ideas mingling with Wixen society. If you truly did your research you would find that most laws against Werewolves that had been pushed forward to be passed in Wizarding Britain were proposed in the beginning by Muggleborn's. Then over time they gained a following amongst some of the Pureblood families as well. You'll never see a Malfoy in your birthland vote yes for a law that discriminates or restricts a Werewolf or any other with Creature Blood."

"I find that hard to believe," Remus scoffed. "I knew the Malfoy Heir while I attended Hogwarts," Remus confessed to him.

Lord Delacour smirked. "No, you didn't," he said simply. "You were not even in the same year as Lucius, and I doubt you were sorted into the same house as he was. I think you believe you knew him but you did not. He was not in your year group, he was five years your senior."

Remus winced at that reminder. Yes, Lucius had been five years older and yes, Remus had not been sorted into the same House as Lucius. Could it be that Lord Delacour was correct? Had Remus been assuming things for years about Lucius Malfoy? If so whom else had he been assuming things about over the years?"

"In any case, I do look forward to your work on this book," Lord Delacour proclaimed bringing them back to the matter at hand. "And should you do a truly marvelous job on this book then I shall recommend you to my mother, the Dowager Delacour. She has a number of books that she would love to see restored but she has feared entrusting them to just anyone who claims to have a gift in restoring books."

"It would be my honor," Remus reassured him. "It is my honor to restore this book alone."

Lord Delacour nodded. "Then I will leave you with this and I look forward to seeing you when the book is finished."

Remus bowed to the man once more and watched him leave the room with a mystified expression. He stared once more at the book. The Song of Souls. He knew that he shouldn't, that Lord Delacour probably would dislike it, but Remus was determined to copy the book as he restored it.

He gently took up the book and then took it to a side table and swiftly wrapped it up in a brown leather satchel. He then placed the book on a shelf and left it there. Brown leather satchel always meant that the book was to be worked on. A black leather satchel always meant that the book was ready to be returned to the owner.

Remus glanced out the window and noted that it was not yet time to close the shop and head home. So, he turned back to his work table and picked up his wand. He once more lost himself in the process of restoring pages.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: House of Straw

Rennes, Brittany, France

February 12, 1986

Remus felt as though his whole body had broken out into a cold sweat as he read the old edition of the Daily Prophet. The paper was several weeks old and he had bought it on a whim just weeks ago but then had forgotten to look at the paper in his rush to pick Orion up from the school and get their dinner started. He had forgotten all about the paper for several weeks and had only found it that morning while he was doing some long overdue extensive cleaning of the papers, magazines, and unimportant mail that he often allowed to pile up by the back door. He often gave himself points for taking the items from the front of the house to the back of the house. It wasn't the various papers piled up, nor that this paper was several weeks old that had him breaking out into a cold sweat. It was the title across the front page.

"SIRIUS BLACK WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED WITHOUT TRIAL!"

Remus sank onto the bench beside the pile of papers and he began to read over the article.

 _Famous son of the House of Black, Sirius Black, was brought from Azkaban Prison for questioning due to the insistence of the House of Black. The House of Black represented by Pollux Black, had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice for the wrongful holding of a son of their House without proper trial. The Department of Justice could not find any record of a trial for the notorious Sirius Black, though they did suggest that the original paperwork of the trial had simply been lost or accidentally destroyed. That no one in the Justice Department could claim to have been at the trial of Sirius Black all but proved to the public that Sirius Black had never had a fair trial._

 _Due to the statute of holding, Sirius Black could have walked away a free man due to him having never had a trial, but the House of Black made the surprising move of insisting that Sirius Black, weak from Azkaban, be given Veritaserum and questioned about his involvement with He Who Must Not Be Named, his Death Eaters, his betrayal of the Potter's, and his murder of Peter Pettigrew and eleven Muggles._

 _Our readers might remember that Veritaserum is a strong truth serum, one that is believed to be impossible for one to lie or withhold answers when under its effects. Veritaserum is very carefully regulated by the Ministry of Magic in order to ensure that it is only used for the good of the Wizarding Public._

 _Under Veritaserum Sirius Black revealed that he was an enemy of He Who Must Not Be Named, had never been a Death Eater or a supporter of He Who Must Not Be Named in any way, he had not betrayed the Potter's and was not their Secret Keeper, and he had not murdered Peter Pettigrew and eleven Muggles. He revealed that it was Peter Pettigrew who had been the Potter's Secret Keeper because the public would more easily believe that Sirius himself would be the one chosen. Sirius thought it would better protect the Potters if it was believed that he was their Secret Keeper when he was not. He went after the true Secret Keeper after he saw his Godson, Harry Potter, safely from the ruined cottage at Godric's Hollow._

 _This raises many questions dear readers. Is Sirius Black the only victim of our Justice System during those tumultuous times? Is Peter Pettigrew still alive and is he still a follower of the ideology of He Who Must Not Be Named?_

 _This publication respects the privacy of Sirius Black as he begins the road to recovery. We wish him well and hope that he is willing to take the time in the future to speak with us._

 _Lydia Windstrom_

 _Daily Prophet_

Remus stared at the paper for several moments before he let it fall from his now listless fingers. Sirius was innocent. He hadn't betrayed James. He hadn't murdered Peter. Peter was the one who had betrayed them. He had gotten James and Lily killed. He had framed Sirius for the crime. Innocent. Innocently imprisoned in Azkaban. All those years lost that Sirius would never get back. Years of missing his friends. Years of not getting to take care of Harry and not getting to know his sons.

His sons.

It really was plural, wasn't it? For all that he at times hated to acknowledge it, Orion was Sirius's biological son. If Sirius had not been incarcerated in Azkaban, Sirius would have tried to do the right thing by Orion.

He would have failed! He was certain that Sirius would have never been as good of a father to Orion as Remus was. That was reason enough to keep Orion hidden from Sirius, wasn't it?

Sirius always said that his family was evil, so of course Remus needed to protect Orion from them. Sirius's family had gotten him freed so now Sirius would owe them, he would also be trying to play nice with his relatives so that he could get closer to his son, Leonis. Would Sirius break ties with Lord Black if Remus contacted him about Orion? Not likely. He doubted that his friend was able to make decisions for himself right now, just freed from Azkaban as he was. Would Sirius ever be well enough to take care of Orion properly? Remus didn't think so. He didn't believe for a second that life with Sirius could ever be good for Orion. Sirius never thought things through. He rushed head first into danger. He was, at best, the fun uncle but not the responsible one and certainly not the responsible father.

He needed to take a trip to the Wizarding Bank and make sure that his rights as the adoptive father of Orion de Rais was truly secured. He knew it was in the Muggle World but he had only ever turned in those documents when setting up his accounts in the Wizarding Bank. He had never asked for an estate manager to go over it for him and make sure that the Black family could not take Orion from him. He had been a little bit afraid that the Goblins would realize that Orion was a child of the House of Black and then feel obligated to alert Lord Black to the existence of the child.

'Face it Remus, this is not something you can avoid forever,' he thought to himself with some bitterness. Short of moving himself and Orion to Australia, New Zealand, or South America, he sincerely doubted that he could avoid the Black family finding out about Orion. He had always been playing for time and nothing more.

He wouldn't be able to keep Orion from his blood family forever. The question was who should he approach about it, Sirius or Lord Black?

Lord Black held the power in the family, he could try to legally take Orion away from him. For that reason alone, he feared contacting the man about Orion. Sirius might feel gratitude toward Remus for taking care of Orion, but he would still want to take Orion from him. That was not something that Remus was willing to allow. He couldn't, just couldn't accept losing his little boy. Would Sirius hear reason? Would he accept that because Orion had grown these many years with him that he should be allowed to stay with Remus? They could attempt to incorporate Sirius into Orion's life. His son had only had him since the death of Marianne when Orion was only two years of age. Surely his boy would benefit from having more family. Sirius could slowly get to know him and Remus would be able to keep Orion safe and healthy and happy.

Remus ran his fingers through his blond locks. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Orion. Maybe he shouldn't risk talking to Sirius. Maybe he should run away with Orion after all.

No. He couldn't do that. Sylvia had left a legacy for her son and it was currently in Remus's hands to care for it. He was enjoying it. He loved his job. He loved the community he lived in. He really loved taking care of Orion and improving the De Rais stores. They were growing in popularity and due to the many magical clients that Remus had been gaining of late, he was seriously contemplating opening a De Rais books in the Coure de Leon in Lyon.

Lyon was the location of the largest wizarding shopping districts in France. The Coure de Leon, or Heart of the Lion, was a large plaza in the heart of Wizarding Lyon. Seven streets branched off the Coure de Leon and they were likewise full of shops and other fine establishments that catered to those who wielded magic. It was his hope to be able to find a nice building on the Coure de Leon or close to it for his shop. He knew that the rent would be high so close to the heart of the plaza but he felt it would be well worth it. Most customers frequented the stores near the plaza.

Setting up a store in a Wizarding center was not exactly what Sylvia had in mind for her son's legacy, but Remus consoled himself with the belief that Sylvia only wanted the best for Orion. She had been a muggle and he was unable to tell her about the Wizarding World. He couldn't tell her he was a Wizard and the child she was carrying was a potential Wixen. He certainly could not have told her that he was a Werewolf. He had never thought much on the Statute of Secrecy before because it had not really affected him, until he met Sylvia. He was grateful for it then because it gave him a good reason to keep his lycanthropy from her.

The truth was that he was a coward.

He had been too cowardly to attempt to tell Sylvia about the Wixen World. He had been too much of a coward to tell Sylvia he was a Wizard affected by Lycanthropy. He had been too much of a coward to tell Sylvia that her child stood a very good chance of being a Wixen. He had been too much of a coward to tell her that he loved her.

He was now thinking like a coward in regards to Sirius and the Black family. He had contemplated leaving it all, taking Orion and running away with him. Hiding from Sirius was not something that he should do. It was not fair to Orion to keep him hidden away, always looking over his shoulder for some unknown danger because Remus would never tell him why they were running and hiding.

He raked his hands through his blond hair and then shook his head once then twice. He couldn't give in to cowardice. Where was his courage? He had been sorted into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. He had traits for Gryffindor House. He should show them more often.

"Dad?" Orion asked quietly from a few feet away.

Remus slowly turned his head to see his son standing in the kitchen doorway looking very uncertain. "I'm alright," Remus started to say but when Orion's eyes narrowed he knew he couldn't just lie to the boy. His Orion was not an oblivious child. The boy had been watching over him and taking care of him for a few years now at the end of the full moon nights. He was astute, amazingly astute for such a young boy.

"Alright, I'm not completely alright," he began again and held out his hand to the boy, silently entreating him to come closer.

Orion rushed to him and gripped his hand. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"I'm scared of losing you," Remus admitted and then he bent down and picked up the Daily Prophet and showed the Headline to his boy. He watched as Orion read it and then the boy looked to him with wide blue eyes.

"So, does this mean that he was innocent?" Orion asked of him.

"Yes," Remus felt a lump in his throat and found it hard to speak for a moment. "He was put in prison without trial. I was with your mum then, doing what I could to take care of her and you and learning from her all about preserving books and running the store. I didn't know that Sirius had not gotten a fair trial."

"It's not your fault, Dad," Orion said, simply full of belief. "But this means he's out of prison."

"Yes, he needs to spend time with the healers because of what being in Azkaban can do to you," Remus told Orion as gently as he could.

Orion nodded sadly. "I'm sorry that he's so sick, but he'll get better, now won't he? Now that he's away from that awful place he'll have loads of help getting better?"

Remus hugged his boy and placed a kiss to the top of his mop of raven curls. "Yeah, he'll get better," he promised Orion.

"Why were you scared?" Orion asked of him.

He took a deep breath and then admitted, "because, I am going to have to contact him and tell him about you. I'm afraid he'll insist that you go live with him."

Orion hugged him tight, wrapping his arms around Remus's neck and curling close. "I don't want to leave you. You are my dad. I know that he's my birth father, but I don't know him."

Remus hugged his son close and sighed. "It was no fault of Sirius's own that he has not been in your life," he reminded the boy. "He was falsely accused and imprisoned. He would have been with you if that had never happened. You would like Sirius, Ori."

"But, I don't want to leave you!" Orion sniffled.

Remus felt himself close to tears and hugged the child close. "I will do all I can to make sure that does not happen, but you must meet Sirius."

Orion slowly nodded. "I want to meet him, I want to know him," the boy said and then he pulled back and stared at him with blue eyes that were all the brighter due to his tears. "But I don't want to be taken away from you. You are my father, not him. You have been the one to do what he couldn't do. I won't blame him for not being here these years, but he cannot take you away from me now that he can be here. I don't want that, I would rather not know him than let that happen."

"Oh Ori," Remus said in a rush as he once more hugged his son. "I love you and I promise you that I will not let you go. We'll figure out a way for us to keep each other and for Sirius to become a part of your life."

Orion nodded and allowed him to hold him for a few more minutes. He reveled in the action since he knew that in a few more years his son would decide that he was too mature to be coddled. He then thought of Sirius and how he had missed many of Orion's first's. He had missed the boy's first steps, his first words, his first day of school. Sirius didn't even know that this son existed.

He would do what he could to keep Orion, but he would try to make things work out well with Sirius. He wanted Sirius to be there for more of Orion's firsts. His first day of Wixen Education, his first crush, and his first kiss. Sirius had more experience with the ladies so perhaps he would give Orion pointers, and then Remus could lecture him on not letting himself be a heart breaker like Sirius. Yes, that would be good. Both raising Orion. He could live with that compromise so long as Sirius allowed him to keep Orion.

* * *

 _Thank you dear readers for your kind likes and reviews. It might still be a while before we read Remus and Sirius meeting again in Winterwolf. Please remember that Sirius still has many months of recovery time ahead of him and also that Remus does not know where Sirius is and he wants to be discreet about finding him. Next Chapter: Remus shops for a building in the Coure de Leon to open his first Wixen book store._


	4. Chapter 4

_Special thanks to sachaelle who corrected me about Coeur de leon. I appreciate it and shall make sure to spell it the correct way from now on._

* * *

Chapter 4: Coeur de Lion

Coeur de Lion, Lyon, France

March 20, 1986

Remus stood before the storefront of the three-story building on the famed Coeur de Lion. The old gray brick building was right on the corner of the Great Plaza and Talisman Circle. It was a perfect location and Remus still couldn't believe his good fortune that he was able to rent the building at such a low price. His fortune had turned when he had gone to the home of Lord Delacour to present him with the restored copy of 'The Song of Wandering Souls'. Lord Delacour had been very impressed by his work.

"Remarkable, Mr. Lupin," Lord Delacour had said with a warm smile as he reverently ran a hand over the cover of the book. "I had heard that you were a man of great skill in the care of books and their restoration, and I now confess that I had chosen to seek you out to test your skills. You have exceeded all of my expectations."

Remus had been thrilled by the praise. "Thank you, Lord Delacour," he said as he blushed. He was growing more used to the praise for his work over the years, but he was still a humble person by nature and so it never failed to thrill him when people truly enjoyed the fruit of his labors. If Lord Delacour was merely testing his skill, then surely that meant that Lord Delacour would want to give him more work in the future. Remus hoped that he would. He really loved restoring manuscripts and if someone like Lord Delacour wanted his services then perhaps in time he would drop Remus's name to one of his associates and they too might hire him for some work.

"I would like to talk to you about a business proposition if I may," Lord Delacour then had asked of Remus.

He had happily nodded his affirmative, sure that Lord Delacour might now give him another commission right away. "Of course," Remus had said pleasantly. His tone assured that he was open to hearing out Lord Delacour and curious as to what one of the most powerful men in Wizarding France might ask of him.

"As I understand it, you have two shops and while they do have a small section in the back for the _Sang Magique_ , you mostly cater to Muggles," Lord Delacour had said.

Remus nodded then and wondered if Lord Delacour disliked Muggles. It was a possibility that Remus almost instantly dismissed. Lord Delacour had done his homework on Remus and that had included a small bit about Sylvia. He knew that Sylvia had been a Muggle and he had shown no signs of distaste for her in their first meeting. He had been kind when he had learned that Sylvia was dead. "Yes," Remus said. "The two stores were started by Sylvia and as she was a Muggle, and knew nothing of the Wizarding World, it stood to reason that the stores would cater to Muggles. I cleared out a storeroom area to add extra space for the Magical books in the store in Rennes. I have not done such for the store in London."

Lord Delacour had nodded his understanding. "Have you ever considered creating a store that was engineered toward the Magical Society?" He had asked of him. "And more to the point, could you be persuaded into doing so?"

Remus had stared at him unsure of how to answer. He had been hoping to one day open a store in the Coeur de Lion, but he had feared the cost of rent for a good location. Yet he knew that a key location would make all the difference to him owning a successful store there. "I have often considered opening a store that catered to Wizarding Society, but the costs of rent are so high in the prime locations in the Coeur de Lion. I have a son to consider, and must weigh the risks."

The Lord of House Delacour smiled at him, clearly approving of Remus's answer. "It is good that you think of your offspring," he had said. "I too am considering him and his future. Your little Orion is a charming boy and you are a good father and a good man who has a rare talent. I want to see it flourish. To that end, I have this proposition for you Mr. Lupin," he had smiled then. "I own a building that is as of now, vacant. It is in the Coeur de Lion in the Plaza on the corner of Talisman Circle. I want you to become the tenant of that building, to fill it with your books and supplies, and to further your goal of transferring a good legacy to your son."

It had taken Remus several minutes to process what Lord Delacour was saying. "I," he had paused then. It had been hard to organize this thoughts into a cohesive order. He had been overwhelmed with the promise of what could be. He had felt elation. He knew of the building in which Lord Delacour spoke. He had often admired the building and thought wistfully that it would be a good location for his store, should he ever open one in the Plaza. Suddenly, he was being offered all that he had wanted and he could not think of how to begin to negotiate for it. "My Lord, you are very generous. May I inquire about the rent?"

Lord Delacour had smiled at him then and arose from his seat to cross to his rosewood desk. The man soon returned bringing with him a black folder that was lined in silver filigree. He handed the folder to Remus. "This is the business arrangement that I have in mind, Mr. Lupin. I suggest you take the time to look it over and then you can get back to me with your answer."

Remus knew a polite dismissal when he heard one and he had arisen from the seat that Lord Delacour had offered him soon after his arrival. He had bowed respectfully to the older man. "Thank you for your patronage, Lord Delacour. I promise to review this proposition and you shall have my decision soon," Remus had promised him. The offer was too good to be true and he had a horrible feeling that if he didn't respond soon that Lord Delacour would do something else with the property. Remus didn't want to miss out on the opportunity by prevaricating too long over a decision.

Remus had returned home and picked up Orion from his babysitter. He had then spent the afternoon playing with his boy. It was after Orion was fast asleep that Remus had finally looked at the contents of the folder. It came with schematics of the store, pictures of the cleaned and empty building. It was a lovely structure; it was built solid and in good order. Then he had reviewed Lord Delacour's proposition. It really wasn't hard to decide to agree. Lord Delacour had two parts to his proposition. The first was simply that Remus would take over the rent of the store and the upper level of the store would be kept as it already was. The place was a little flat with a bedroom, lounge, kitchen, and bathroom. Lord Delacour insisted that someone should live in the flat to watch over the store for security purposes. This was something that Remus could easily agree with. Surely, he could hire someone to work in the store and live in the flat as well. The second part was the negotiation over the rent. Lord Delacour was willing to lower the usual rent to a very generous price, a price that would never be raised, if Remus would restore three of his manuscripts for free. Considering how much money Remus could gain by having a store in that location and at such a lowered rental price, Remus knew he had to say yes. Even if the manuscripts were incredibly expensive. He could only think of one stipulation of his own to add. That stipulation was that if the manuscripts in question were so old that they needed materials that he did not have easy access to treat them, then Lord Delacour must be responsible for the cost of ordering the materials in question. He had sent his letter off in the morning and had received an answer later that evening that Lord Delacour agreed to his stipulation.

So, it was that Remus was now the proud owner of a third De Rais Books, this one in the Plaza of the Coeur de Lion. This store would cater to the Wizarding Public. It was a dream come true. Though Remus liked Muggles and found their literature quite entertaining, he could not deny what he was. He was a Wizard, a Magical being. His son was also a Wizard. He had wanted to improve upon Sylvia's legacy, to increase it and give Orion so much more. He was sure that somehow Sylvia must know what he was doing for Orion and for himself. He was sure that she was proud of him. He thought that if he had not been such a coward then he could have shared what he was with Sylvia. She would have found it fascinating. She would not have been frightened away like he had feared. She would have delighted in Orion's first bout of accidental magic. She would have been sympathetic to Remus's lycanthropy and helped tend to him after the full moon nights. She would have happily stood by his side and opened a store in the Coeur de Lion for Wizarding Society.

He could almost hear her teasing voice saying, "They like to read too don't they Remus?" Oh yes, his Sylvia would have delighted in Wizarding Society. A society that was not glued to the box that the muggles had that they called Television. Sylvia had often ranted that too many people watched television instead of reading nowadays. She thought it wasn't good for the children. She thought reading helped them use their imagination more and helped them learn more. He had never disagreed with her on that front. He couldn't. Not when he knew so little of television and he was a confirmed bibliophile himself.

Remus's first order of business had been to insure himself a workshop within this store. He would most likely receive more clientele from this location than from the others; so he needed to have a work room for examining books and perhaps doing a little bit of work there. He would also like to be able to do upkeep on the older books that the store might choose to sell. His second order of business was to put a help wanted sign up in his window. He had placed charms on the sign to ensure that it would only attract the attention of someone who liked books and therefore might genuinely come to love working there. The sign hung in the window for two days before someone came in while he was putting up book shelves in the back of the store. The young man was stunningly handsome and looked to be just seventeen years of age. Remus almost rejected him on the spot. He wasn't sure that he wanted some pretty boy tending to the books in his shop. What if he was like the handsome boys that Remus had known in school that were full of lazy arrogance and thought they should get away with whatever they wanted just because they were good looking? He would not be able to stand such an employee. Yet he had decided that he would speak with the young man regardless. He didn't have to hire him, but it would be good form to interview him.

He had been impressed with the young man. Remus's fear was unfounded. The young man, Thierry Bazire, was not at all arrogant. He was a shy boy and he had been nervous as he had asked about the job and what would be expected of him. The young man's eyes had lit up with joy at the idea of selling books and helping people find things they would be interested in. The young man had attended Beauxbaton's and had been a student assistant in the school library, helping others to find books and to put them away. When Remus had asked him why he was looking for work instead of Apprenticing under a Master, the young man had blushed and told him that he was the youngest of six siblings and that his family had been able to afford the fees of Apprenticeship for two of the children but none of the others. Remus decided that he liked young Thierry and he had given him the job at the store.

Thierry had been his first hire. Anatole Bossicar had been his second. Anatole was a Werewolf and had a good reputation. He had worked many odd jobs in the past, but his past employers had wanted to be seen as kind to Werewolves without it being genuine. They had not been kind about Anatole's absences from work during the week of the Full Moon. Most Werewolves took the whole week off work because the wolf was too close to the surface even without the change of the full moon night. Their tempers could flare at any moment. It was safer for them to go to somewhere peaceful to rest up for the change and then to have a few days to recover after the full moon night. Though many employers in Wizarding France seemed to understand this, there were just as many that didn't. Anatole was the proud father of two boys who were around Orion's age. Remus had decided to hire the other Werewolf and he prayed that they would never be at odds. It was dangerous for Werewolves to interact when they were not part of the same pack, but Remus had not wanted to turn this man away when he was a fellow Lycan and had children to take care of. He had never been close to another Werewolf. It had never been an option. Perhaps someday he and Anatole would feel like they were Pack. It was just Remus and his little cub. He had not had a pack since James and Lily died. It was still hard to comprehend that Sirius had spent so long in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. How could Peter have fallen so low as to do that to them? He would probably never understand the answer, because in the end he was Remus and he knew he would have never betrayed them.

His third hire was Leandre Dautane. The man was a few years younger than Remus and had just finished gaining a degree in Business Management. Remus thought him a godsend. He had hired the young man, given him the flat above the store and put him to work in a management position within the store. Leandre seemed to get along well with Thierry and he often teased the younger man. It had been Leandre that had told him that Thierry was a male Veela. That had not surprised Remus much upon reflection. Thierry was uncannily handsome with beautiful blue eyes, unblemished alabaster skin, and silky golden blond hair. What had surprised him was that Thierry was submissive by nature. Leandre confessed that it was unusual for Veela males to be submissive and when they were it was usually unlikely that they would ever attract a female Veela because they were instinctively attracted to more assertive and powerful males. Thierry was considered a disappointment by his family. Remus had not liked the sound of that at all. He had discussed with Leandre that if Thierry's family situation became unbearable that Leandre should give him room in his flat for a time until Remus could be notified and find him other lodgings. Remus wasn't running a charity case, but he had grown very protective of his employees. He had not felt this way since he had been a Marauder. It felt kind of good to let people that close to him again, to open himself up to that kind of caring. Sylvia would want that, wouldn't she? It had also helped that he had once found Thierry, after a hard day of unloading and organizing books to prepare the store for opening, cuddling a sleepy Orion and softly singing to the boy. The song had soothed his inner wolf as well.

His last hire was a young woman; the only female he had thus far hired for his shop. She was the only female that had been drawn to the sign in the window. Her name was Ascella Blasine and she had never held a job of any kind. She was six years younger than he was and was a graduate of the Beauxbaton's _Academie de Magie_. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with raven black curls, pale skin that held a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones and pale gray eyes. It was clear to him that Ascella came from a family of means. Though she had never had a job before, the woman was not afraid of hard work. She had done her fair share of hefting boxes both physically and with the use of her magic. She had obeyed his rule to not use her magic to organize the books. Instead she had ripped open boxes just like the rest of them and she had organized the books on the shelves. He didn't know about her family, but it seemed to Remus that Ascella wanted the job as a means of independence from them. It was perhaps a way to prove to herself that she could take care of herself. So long as she was willing to work, Remus was more than happy to employ her and help her to achieve her goal.

He had also been charmed one day by watching her play with Orion. Remus could not always get a babysitter for his son and he usually preferred to keep Orion near to him anyway, so he had often taken Orion to the new store. He wanted Orion to have memories of this store's beginnings. Sylvia had already been the proud owner of the store in Rennes and in London when Orion was born so, of course Orion would not have remembered the opening of those stores. Orion would remember this one though and he would remember the week of unpacking, organizing and decorating. Remus had returned from the back with a few more boxes of books one afternoon to see Ascella dancing with Orion. He had watched his son bow like a perfect little gentleman and then Ascella dipped into an elegant curtsy. Then they began to move to the steps of a quadrille, the strains of some sort of song played softly over the Wizarding Wireless as the two danced. When Orion fumbled in his steps, Ascella had been gentle in her correction of them and she had smiled at his son with such warmth that it made Remus's heart ache. Sylvia would have looked at Orion that way. She had looked that way when she spoke of the future of her son in her final days. Happy and so full of love.

Remus turned his mind from thoughts of his good fortune and smiled as he stepped back from the storefront window, the better to take in the full aesthetic. Ascella and Thierry had been put in charge of decorating the three windows that faced the streets. The two had been happy with the task and had created pretty displays of books of various genres to tantalize the populace. They had painted 'De Rais Books' on the inside of the glass door so that it faced the public. It had been another task that had been appointed to Thierry and he had been all too happy to tend to the task. The second level of the store had been much debated. It was a loft that looked down onto the main store. Remus had initially wanted to put more aisles of books up there, but Leandre had suggested they create a little café up there where they could serve a few treats and beverages. The addition of a few tables and some comfortable chairs turned it into an adorable little reading lounge. Tomorrow would be their Grand Opening and Remus was looking forward to it.

Remus entered the store and let his eyes sweep around him, checking every inch of his store. He slowly made his way toward the back to look at the store room and then he checked his workroom. Satisfied with the organization of each, he made his way back into the main room of the store. He then went to the staircase and climbed up the stairs to the café. He checked over the comfort of the chairs and the sturdiness of the tables. He transfigured one table leg to be a little longer so that the table would no longer wobble. He then checked behind the counter to view the areas that would keep the treats and the beverages. He smiled in contentment that everything was ready for their Grand Opening. He turned away to make his way back down the stairs but froze when he saw the painting that was hanging on the wall beside the stairs. It had pride of place so that all would have to see it before going down the stairs. There before him was a painting he had never seen before but he knew the person and the pose. "Sylvia," he whispered. He almost hoped that just saying her name would make the painting suddenly begin to move and speak as Wizarding Portraits were supposed to do, but the painting remained still.

"We thought it would be fitting," the voice of Ascella Blasine said from behind him.

He slowly turned his gaze away from the very lifelike painting of Sylvia De Rais so he could give his full attention to Ascella. She was standing with Thierry, Anatole, and Leandre. They must have hidden from him in the stairwell that led up to Leandre's flat. Ascella was smiling at him, Thierry had a shy smile on his face and he looked hopeful, Anatole's eyes bore into his own and the slightly older Werewolf seemed to understand that the sight of Sylvia had both pleased him and pained him, Leandre was watching him and his eyes seemed to say, 'This was important to them so you better say the right thing here.'

Well, Remus wouldn't let them down. Not when they had somehow managed to make a painting of Sylvia for him, even if it was a painting that would never talk with him again. "Thank you," he said. "This is," he paused fighting against the lump in his throat. "I don't have the words to thank you for this. You are right. It is very fitting that a painting of Sylvia should be here."

"Well, we were talking about it one day and she was the one that had started the stores you had before this one," Thierry told him, sounding happier now that he knew Remus appreciated their thoughtfulness. "We thought she should be here somehow. I am just sorry that we have no memories of hers so she can talk."

"That is alright, this is enough," Remus told him. It was enough. It had to be. Besides, it would be even harder for Remus if he had a painted Sylvia to talk to. He'd only pine for the rest of his life. He couldn't do that.

"She's Orion's mother," Ascella said then. "We know that one day you'll be leaving all of the stores to Orion and we thought that it would make him happy to be up here in the café while all of us are working and he can sit on this chair here and eat a few cookies, read a good book, and have the comfort of his mother's painting right there. It would be like looking at photographs of her at home, yes?"

Remus smiled at the raven-haired woman. "I cannot thank you enough for your thoughtfulness. You are right, of course, Orion will love this."

"Right, good," Leandre said then. "In that case all of you need to go home and rest up. We have a busy day tomorrow and I want some time to finish my book before I turn in for the night. Off with you," he said.

Anatole barked out a laugh that reminded him slightly of Sirius's laughter, but the man's voice was deeper than Sirius's was, when last he had heard it. "Very well, we're going. I promised my pups that I would make a good dinner for them and read to them before bed anyway," Anatole responded.

They all disembarked down the staircase. Thierry was the first to reach the coat rack and he immediately cast a finite spell to reveal that their coats were in fact on the rack. Remus might have noticed it while doing his inspections so his clever employees had disillusioned their coats. Thierry got into his coat and then he handed Ascella her own coat and scarf. The woman fought with the scarf for a moment. She was fond of scarves but seemed to never know how to properly put one on herself. Remus watched in amusement as Anatole took the scarf from her, batting her hands away when she tried to take it back and then he arranged it in a stylish loop around her neck. He then made sure she was nicely bundled into her stylish coat. The weather had been cold for March. Anatole then shrugged on his own winter coat. It had seen better days and Remus made a mental note to be sure to buy Anatole a new winter coat next Christmas. He was sure he could afford to do so by then. With waves of farewell to Leandre they left the store. Remus was relieved to hear the click of the locks and his senses tingled with the activation of the lock down wards that Lord Delacour had paid for to protect the property from would be invaders and thieves.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Thierry said softly, his blue eyes shining with happiness.

Remus nodded his head. He was glad he had remembered to charm that help wanted sign so that it would only draw good people who would enjoy working with books to his store. He watched Thierry head to the Great Plaza's apparition point and the young man disappeared with a soft crack. Anatole patted his back and nodded to him before he followed Thierry and left as well. Ascella smiled at him and gripped his hand. "Give my love to Orion. I will be in the café tomorrow and will be happy to watch him for the Opening if you like," she said.

"I would appreciate that," he said. It had never occurred to him to ask for a minder for Orion. He had always known he would take the boy with him for the Grand Opening. He felt relieved that Ascella had thought of it and would watch over him.

"I'll keep him entertained," she promised him. Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek and moved away heading to the apparition point.

She disappeared a moment later and Remus smiled in contentment. Tomorrow would be a long day. He was all too happy to return home to dine with his son and turn in early. He had always had trouble sleeping when he was excited and anticipating good or even bad things the next day. As he apparated home, he idly wondered if he should take a small dose of dreamless sleep potion to help him sleep tonight. It couldn't hurt, he decided before he turned his attention to the little boy with black curls running toward him. He laughed as he lifted his little Ori up into his arms. He held the boy close and decided that he would count his blessings that night instead of sheep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Grand Opening

Coeur de Lion, Lyon, France

March 21, 1986

Orion's blue eyes darted from person to person and he felt more than a little bit overwhelmed. He had been to the bookstore that his father owned in Rennes many times. He was used to it having a great number of people in the store, especially on the weekends, but he had never seen the store in Rennes so full of people. Almost everywhere he looked there was another person picking up a book or holding a book and attempting to maneuver through the crowd of other bodies.

"We have a good crowd, yes?" the kind voice of Ascella Blasine asked of him.

Orion immediately turned his gaze to her. He nodded in agreement but didn't speak. He liked Ascella. She was really pretty, probably the prettiest lady that he had ever seen. He loved her black curls. She also had the prettiest eyes. They were a gray color that made him think of gray skies on a day with gentle rainfall. She was patient with him and kind to him. Of his father's new employees, he liked Thierry, Ascella, and Anatole the best.

Thierry was nice and read him stories about Wizards of old who negotiated with Dragons. He also sang to him when he was tired. It was easy to fall asleep to one of Thierry's songs. He had a mesmerizing voice that made Orion relax and follow his direction to fall to sleep. Thierry was also just into adulthood and in many ways was still young. At least he was by the standards of the other adults around Orion. He liked that Thierry was still young enough to understand him, but old enough to be a responsible adult.

Anatole was gruff but kind. He was a Werewolf, just like his dad. Orion was inclined to like him at first just because he was a Werewolf. He hadn't met many Werewolves because his dad didn't belong to a pack. He wondered if maybe his father and Anatole would become part of a pack together. Perhaps Anatole would invite his father into the pack that he belonged to? Just how did such things work anyway? He'd have to remember to ask Anatole.

"Would you like some cookies?" Ascella asked him regaining his attention.

"Yes please," Orion answered easily. He hopped up from the chair he had been occupying. It was just beside the counter of the café area on the upper level. The café area was busy as well, though it had received less traffic than the main floor of the store.

"Here you go," Ascella said as she gave him a small plate with three cookies. "This should tide you over for a little while."

Orion nodded as he took the plate and then once more curled up into the big comfortable chair beside the counter. He liked the seat. It was huge and comfortable, and he could see his mother's portrait while seated here. He already knew this would be his favorite spot anytime he would have to spend long hours in the store.

"Oh, my! Did someone lose a child?" a female voice brought him from his contemplation. He had been happy contemplating things and eating a cookie before this woman had approached him. He blinked in confusion as he looked upon the face of the crouching female. The woman was wearing a silly looking purple hat and frizzy brown curls were escaping the hat. She wore purple robes that matched her hat.

"I'm not lost," Orion said sounding a little bit affronted at the suggestion. "I know exactly where I am."

The woman had a funny look on her face for a moment before she laughed at his words. "Well, of course, you know where you are. How silly of me," she said in a tone that told him she was placating him. He didn't like it one bit.

"I just mean that your parents must not know where you are," she stated.

"My father knows where I am," Orion insisted firmly.

"Oh?" the woman inquired and then looked around. "And just where is your father?"

"He's right down there," Orion said pointing toward the check out counter where he could clearly see his father, Anatole, and Leandre tending to the customers who wished to purchase books and other goods sold in the store.

"Oh?" the woman said squinting. "So, he's buying books, is he?" she asked.

Orion gave her a look that suggested he didn't think much of her intelligence. "No," he said firmly.

The woman looked confused. "He's not buying books?" she questioned.

He shook his head in the negative even as he grabbed another cookie from his plate and began to nibble upon it. He thought that perhaps he should offer her the final cookie. It was the polite thing to do, but the cookies were chocolate chip and besides, she was annoying. That decided it. He wouldn't offer her a cookie.

"But you pointed down there," she said, and it was clear she was becoming a bit annoyed.

"Yes, that's because Papa is down there," he said and pointed again toward where he could clearly see his father ringing up another customer's purchases. "He's been down there since early this morning."

The woman scoffed then, and Orion decided that he had been absolutely right to not offer this woman a chocolate chip cookie. Though perhaps a cookie would improve her disposition? He pondered it another moment before again deciding not to offer her his last cookie. She wasn't behaving very nicely, and he had been taught that only good boys and girls deserve cookies.

"What could possibly keep your father down there all morning?" she asked with annoyance clear in her voice.

"He's ringing up the customer's purchases for them," Orion told her. "I told you, he's just right there," and he pointed again toward his father.

The woman blinked once, then twice. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Your father works here?"

Orion nodded his head at that. "Yes," he said simply.

"Oh, I see," the woman nodded then. "So, you must be the son of one of Mr. Lupin's employees," she sounded smug then.

He frowned at her tone and shook his head in the negative. "No," he said simply.

She looked flummoxed, her expression almost made Orion giggle, but he kept himself from doing so. He didn't want Ascella to hear it and tell his dad that he hadn't been a good boy today. They were going to have his favorite dinner tomorrow night if he managed to be a good boy today.

"No?" she asked acidly. "But you said that your father was ringing up the customers," she insisted.

"He is," Orion said defensively. This woman was very annoying. She most certainly didn't deserve his final chocolate chip cookie.

The woman eyed him with angry looking blue eyes for a moment before she turned her gaze back to the three men ringing up purchases on the ground floor. "But, no," she said softly then. "Surely not," she said. "Who is your father?" she demanded to know.

"Remus Lupin," Orion answered happily. He was proud of his father.

"No," the woman said with a shake of her head. "But,"

"He's my father!" Orion insisted firmly. He glared at the woman. Why was this woman so strange? Why did she have to come over here and bug him? He was happy sitting there, eating his cookies and contemplating things. Then this woman had to come along and mess it all up.

"You don't look like him," she insisted.

"So!" Orion said because he couldn't argue that. It was true. He looked like his other father. He knew that. But he wasn't going to talk about Sirius Black. His mother had left him with Papa and Remus Lupin was the only father he had ever known. He was the only father he needed.

"Well!" the woman responded clearly unnerved and not sure how to proceed.

"Madame, may I help you?" Ascella's voice was a welcome interruption and Orion looked at her with warmth and gratitude.

"Ascella!" he exclaimed and then pointed to the woman. "I was being good. I was sitting here and eating the cookies you gave me and then this woman came along and began to ask me a bunch of questions. She doesn't want to believe that Papa is my papa."

"Is that so?" Ascella's voice held a slight edge as she looked away from Orion and focused on the other woman.

The frizzy-haired woman stiffened at that and Orion felt a spark of enjoyment sizzle through him as he watched the woman become unnerved by Ascella. "I saw a little boy, sitting here unattended and I thought that perhaps he had been separated from his parents. There are a great many people here today."

"It is a Grand Opening," Ascella said blandly. "But as you can see, Orion is not unattended. He is sitting here and observing while I tend to the Sweets counter here," she said motioning to her counter. "Perhaps you would like something to eat or drink Madame Moret?" she asked pleasantly.

"No thank you," the woman that Orion now knew as Madame Moret answered. "He insisted that his father is Monsieur Lupin. But that is absurd!" the woman scoffed, and Orion felt himself growing angry.

Ascella moved closer to Orion then and ran a gentle hand through his raven curls. "Madame Moret, your behavior is bordering on unseemly," Ascella said in the posh tones of one born to the upper echelons of society. "This young man is Orion Remus, the son of Monsieur Remus Lupin," she introduced. "And Orion, this is Madame Charlotte Moret. She is a well-respected columnist. She writes for Diamond's & Vanity," she said naming the well-liked magazine.

Orion wiggled out of the big and comfortable chair. Once his two feet were firmly planted on the floor, he swiftly straightened out his clothing and then he bowed properly to the columnist. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Madame Moret," he said like the perfect gentleman that Ascella was training him to be.

Madame Moret looked charmed despite herself. She gave him a gentle smile. "It has been my pleasure young Monsieur," she said.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like a cookie?" Orion said politely. He turned back to his chair and took up the plate that had been resting on the arm of the chair. It still held his final chocolate chip cookie. "I like the cookies best. They were freshly baked this morning."

Madame Moret laughed lightly. Her smile was full of warmth and affection now. "No, but I do thank you for the offer," she refused politely.

"I take it that you were sent to watch the Grand Opening and perhaps see if you could scope out a good story?" Ascella asked shrewdly.

Moret nodded. "Yes," she said. "So far it has been a crush. That makes for a few nice paragraphs, but not enough for a story," she said and then her blue eyes alighted again on Orion. "But this," she said pointing slightly at Orion. "This is more interesting."

Orion didn't understand how he made the Grand Opening of the store more interesting. He looked inquisitively back and forth between Madame Moret and Ascella. It seemed that Ascella understood what Madame Moret was talking about. "Ascella?" he questioned.

His anxiety was soothed slightly by Ascella running her fingers through his curls, her fingers gently massaging his scalp. He loved it when Ascella or Thierry did that to him.

"He is a minor and his father is his sole guardian," Ascella said then. "I cannot stop you from asking him questions, but I will remind you that you can print nothing without his father's agreement," she warned.

"Of course," Madame Moret said with a smile.

"And, you cannot speak to him alone," Ascella added. "I'll be right here the whole time."

The other woman paused at that for a moment and eyed Ascella before she subsided with a huff. "You Black's always were a stubborn lot," she grumbled.

Orion shot a quick glance at Ascella. Why had the woman referred to Ascella as a Black? Was Ascella related to the Black family too? He almost asked but decided against it. Something told him that he should push for answers with Madame Moret right there. Besides, he should probably take a little more time to think about things. Make sure he had all the questions he wanted to ask Ascella figured out.

"Orion, mon chere, why don't you show Madame Moret to a comfortable seat at one of the tables," Ascella suggested. "I'll be along momentarily with more cookies and some beverages," she added.

Orion nodded his agreement. He led Madame Moret to a table by the balcony railing. It overlooked the hustle and bustle of the ground floor. He settled himself into a chair a moment after the woman had seated herself. He chose the seat directly across from her so that he too could watch the ground floor. He smiled happily and munched on his final cookie and idly watched as Madame Moret reached into her bag and took out a little notebook and quill.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked him.

"It's a quill," Orion said simply.

"It's better than a quill, dear sir!" she proclaimed. "This is a Quick Quotes Quill!"

"Quick Quotes?" he asked.

She nodded. "It takes notes for me while I interview others or just need to speak aloud to clear the thoughts in my head. It is a marvelously helpful tool," she declared.

He nodded. "It sounds pretty clever," he said.

"I'm going to use it while we talk if that is alright with you and Mademoiselle Black," she said.

Orion bit his lip for a moment to keep himself from asking the woman about Ascella. This was the second reference to her being a Black and this one was far more blatant than the first. When she had begun to work for his father, she had been introduced to him as Ascella Blasine, not Ascella Black. He'd have to ask Ascella about it. He wanted to hear about it from her and not this woman. He nodded his agreement after a moment of contemplation about Ascella's name and lineage.

He was happy when a few moments later Ascella returned to the table with a tray that held a plate of biscuits, cookies, and three glasses full of various fluids. "Here we are," Ascella said happily. "A juice for you," she said placing a cup of juice before Orion. Then she served tea to Madame Moret.

"Thank you," the columnist said. "Do you mind terribly if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill?" she asked of Ascella. "I explained the tool to young Monsieur Lupin, and he does not mind, but if you do then, of course, I will do this longhand," she promised.

"The quill is fine," Ascella said decisively. "It will make your task easier and it will mean you can get your work to Monsieur Lupin that much sooner for him to hopefully approve your work for publication," she said.

"Great!" the woman said. "I confess I find Monsieur Lupin very interesting. This seems to be his first investment in a Wizarding store, but he is a Wizard himself. Curious that he has two stores that are for Muggles," she said.

"No, it's not," Orion said. "The Muggle stores were started by Mama, that is my Mother," he said and then he turned in his chair and pointed to the portrait of his mother. "There she is, that's a painting of my mother," he stated.

"Oh, my! She is a lovely woman," Madame Moret said, and it made Orion's heart warm toward her that she acknowledged just how pretty his mother was.

"Orion is quite right," Ascella said then. "Madame Sylvia de Rais started with a bookstore for Muggles in Rennes and she later opened a store just like it for Muggles in London," she said.

"But why for Muggles?" Madame Moret asked.

"Because she was a Muggle," Orion said easily.

Madame Moret looked taken by surprise by that. "Oh!" she said in surprise. "I had no idea. So, did Madame de Rais know anything about our society?"

"No," Orion said softly. "Papa thinks that she would have loved it, but he couldn't tell her anything because of the laws about who can know. Then she died after I was born."

"I am sorry," Madame Moret said with sincere sympathy. "You must love hearing about her," she said gently.

Orion nodded. "Papa has lots of great stories about her," he said with a smile.

"Monsieur Lupin honors her memory every day," Ascella said. "This store is one more way to do so. From what he has said of Madame de Rais, she loved reading and learning. She thought books were the best way for people to learn and for children to amuse themselves and let their imaginations soar," she said.

Orion smiled at that. "Papa says that Mama read to me every night while I was still in her tummy," he informed Madame Moret.

The woman smiled at that. "Do you think she'd like the store?" she asked.

"Oh yes!" Orion said. "I think she'd love it. Just look how busy it is. Everyone seems happy," he said. "Mama liked for people to be happy," he told the woman. In all his father's stories about his mother, one fact was a constant. His mother liked to make people happy. She liked to help bring joy to others.

"The de Rais bookstores are Madame Sylvia's legacy and they are Orion's future," Ascella informed Madame Moret. "Orion shall one day inherit the stores set up by Madame de Rais and Monsieur Lupin."

"Do you think that Monsieur Lupin shall open other de Rais bookstores?" Madame Moret asked.

Orion thought about that for a moment while Ascella answered. "I do not know Monsieur Lupin's future plans," she demurred.

"Of course," Madame Moret said.

"If Papa doesn't then I am sure that I will someday," Orion said to the surprise of both women.

"Is that so?" Madame Moret asked.

He nodded. "Yes. The two Muggle stores make the Muggle's happy. If there is someplace else to set up a Muggle store for them then I'll do it so that I can help to make them happy."

"You care to make them happy even though you are a Wizard?" Madame Moret asked. Her tone was curious.

Orion nodded his head in agreement. "Yes," he said decisively. "My Mama was a wonderful person and she was a Muggle, so I don't see a reason not to help to make them happier," he explained. "I would also open a Wizarding store though in another Wizarding district if it would make others happy."

Madame Moret smiled at him. "You are a very kind little boy," she said then. "I do hope that you keep that kindness when you are older."

"I will," Orion said confidently.

She laughed then. "Let us hope so," she said. "Thank you both. I think I have enough here for me to work with. The sooner I get it put together the sooner I can present it to Monsieur Lupin and perhaps he'll grant me a brief interview to add to it."

"You are welcome," Ascella said. "Though if you would please keep my name out of your piece, I would appreciate it."

Orion watched curiously as Madame Moret and Ascella looked at each other for a few moments. There was something interesting going on here, but he couldn't figure out what. No matter. He'd ask Ascella about it later after he had taken the time to think about things. He had already learned that with adults it was better to observe for a while, take the time to think about things, and then formulate questions to ask of them. Usually, adults would give you only one real chance to get all your questions answered before they considered the subject closed forever and ever.

He stood along with Ascella as Madame Moret stood and put her Quick Quotes Quill away. He watched as she shook hands with Ascella and then she extended her hand to him. Orion took it and kissed the back of her hand like Ascella had taught him a few weeks before.

"Such a young gentleman," Madame Moret said sweetly to him. Orion decided that he liked the woman much better now than when he had first met her.

He watched as she made her way down the stairs and maneuvered her way through the throng of peoples. He then turned his gaze to Ascella. "Did you know that someone like her would come here today?" he asked.

Ascella smiled. "There have been a couple in here today, but none got lucky the way she did. Madame Moret is uncanny like that and really it could have been far worse," she told Orion. "Madame Moret has a good reputation. She'll write up a good story and not give it sensationalist over the top embellishments. It will be a story that your Papa will be happy with," she promised him.

Orion nodded at that. "Alright," he said simply. "But she called you a Black," he pointed out. "Are you from that family?"

Ascella blushed then. "I.." she paused for a moment to regain her composure. "Yes, my name is Ascella Blasine Black," she told him. "Blasine is my middle name."

"Oh," he said as he mulled that over. "But why didn't you just say you were Ascella Black?" he asked.

She gently guided him back to his comfy chair beside the sweets counter as she began to explain. "My parents thought that working in a bookshop would be beneath me. They didn't really want me to work at all, but I want to work. I wanted to prove to myself that I could take care of myself you see," she told him.

Orion nodded as she explained. He supposed he could understand her parents being protective. His papa was protective of him too. "You parents were protective of you," he stated simply.

She nodded. "Yes," she laughed lightly. "They were very afraid that someone would wish to take advantage of having a Black as their employee. My father only agreed to let me attempt a job if I kept it secret that I was a Black from my employer until I had proven myself at my job."

Orion nodded. "Well I won't tell," he promised her. "It's your secret and you'll know when you can tell Papa," he said. "And it seems like you have a good reason to keep it secret for now," he said simply.

She relaxed then. "Thank you, Ori," she said as she raised her hand to his hair and ran her fingers through his raven curls. "I should get this counter cleaned up," she said motioning to the sweets counter. A quick look through the glass told its own story. The empty trays that had held bread, pastries, and cookies that morning were completely empty.

He watched as she took out her wand and with a few swishes the area looked spotless. "That will do for now. Those trays will need a solid scrub later," she said.

Orion nodded at that but didn't speak because more customers had just traversed the stairs and were approaching the counter. He settled back into his comfortable chair and listened as each customer debated and then chose a beverage to drink. He looked at the painting of his mother and he smiled. He was sure that if his Mama was watching over them like Papa always said she was, then she was smiling down at them.

* * *

 _I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have posted anything on this story. Between real life and then giving Renewal so much of my attention, I have failed at keeping up with stories like Winterwolf. I do apologize for that. I loved writing this chapter from Orion's POV. It was a lot of fun. I am not sure how well I did since I have been told by many reviewers that I don't write children well, that they always seem to be too mature and other such things. In any case, I really do hope that he was enjoyable to read._

 _Winterwolf's current timeline is a year behind Renewal's though it may begin to catch up in the next few chapters. Those who have read the Renewal Chapter titled Matchmakers (which is about the Ladies of House Black debating about marriage prospects for Sirius and custody of children and so on) might remember that Ascella Blasine Black was mentioned in that chapter as one of the possible prospective bride choices for the House of Black to push at Remus Lupin. I would like to note that the Renewal chapter Matchmakers in which Ascella is brought up as a possible bride for Remus Lupin, to better tie him to House Black, takes place in February of 1987, but Ascella has already been working for Remus since March of 1986. The Black family at large did not realize that Ascella was working for Remus Lupin. Ascella working for him was not part of some sort of Black family plot, though it is the sort of thing the Ladies Black would have put into action._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Heir Black

Prosecco, Trieste, Italy

December 26, 1986

Orion sighed as he idly glanced around the Italian street. This was the first vacation that he could remember taking with his father and he didn't want it to end yet. His father had chosen Trieste because it was a picturesque place where Orion could play on the beach when his father wasn't dragging him into dusty old antique shops in search of musty old tomes. Orion loved books, but not so much that he wanted to spend the whole of his vacation time ensconced in one antique shop after another.

He glanced back into the window of the shop and sighed in dismay as he saw his father haggling with the shopkeeper over the price of a grimoire. That the Muggle store had a grimoire was a strange find. Orion had a bad feeling about it, but his father believed that there was no harm in purchasing the book.

'It's a Zabini Grimoire,' Orion thought glumly. 'We should give it to a Zabini,' he thought with a long-suffering sigh. He wished again that Ascella and Thierry had been able to come with them. Ascella knew how to gently guide his father along and curb his habits of getting lost in the books. Thierry would at least take him to the beach and leave papa to his perusing. Alas! Ascella and Thierry were with their families for the holidays. He hoped that they liked the presents he had made for them. He had made Ascella a picture book with photos of her and the others working and at times playing in the shop. He had made Thierry a necklace with a Malachite stone because Malachite stones would break to warn their wearer of danger.

Orion stole another glance into the shop and scowled as he saw his papa was still haggling over the price of the grimoire. He shook his head in dismay and was contemplating going back into the shop when he heard a voice that gave him pause.

"Ouch!" a boy's voice cried out.

Orion turned and frowned in concern as he noticed a boy that looked to be his own age had fallen to the ground. By the way, the boy was gingerly inspecting his hands for damage it was clear that he must have hurt himself. When the boy looked at his knee it drew Orion's gaze and he winced in sympathy as he noticed the damaged trousers and the skinned knee.

Orion tentatively approached. "Umm, hey there, are you alright?" he called out to the other boy. The boy raised his head to look at him, surprise in silvery-gray eyes. What really struck Orion though was how closely he and the boy resembled one another. They had similar features, the same shade of black hair, the same nose and cheekbones.

"Do you understand me?" he asked again this time in French because the boy still had not responded.

"Yes, I do," the boy found his voice then, never taking his eyes from Orion.

"Oh good. I was worried that you only spoke Italian. I don't really know it. I'm here with my Papa on holiday," Orion explained.

The other boy nodded. "I'm visiting my father on holiday too, but umm…" he paused causing Orion to give him a curious look. "We had a fight and I ran off," he finished lamely.

"You ran away?" Orion gasped. He couldn't imagine running away from his papa. Maybe this boy's father wasn't a very nice man. Why else would the boy run away from him?

"No, I just," the boy paused and winced as he slowly stood up. "I just wanted some space. I wanted to get away from him to think."

Orion nodded in sudden understanding. "Sometimes I get angry with my Papa too," he confided in this boy that looked as though he could be his brother. "I don't run off though. He'd worry so much if I did that. I hide myself away in a cubby hole in the attic that is too small for him to get in."

The other boy seemed to mull that over. "That must be nice."

"You look pretty torn up," Orion frowned as he gently took hold of the other boy's hand and holding it palm up, so he could properly inspect it. "At least there doesn't seem to be any pebbles in it. I once fell in a Muggle parking area. There were pebbles and broken glass in my skin that Papa had to remove."

"You are a Wizard then," the other boy whispered with relief.

Orion blushed but nodded. "I, yes. What gave me away?" he asked feeling slightly panicked.

"Muggles. You said Muggles," the boy informed him.

"Oh," Orion laughed. "I have been so careful during this trip not to mess up like that. I'm so glad that it was with someone who knew about the Wizarding World when I finally fouled up."

The boy smirked. "Your secret is safe with me. I'm also a Wizard so there is no reason to be nervous."

Orion nodded. "That is good," he said then he frowned once more at his hand. "Why don't you come with me? I was waiting just outside that shop for my father to finalize a purchase. He's a Wizard too and he'll be able to look over your wounds and heal you up in no time. He's used to it what with my accidents."

The other boy slowly nodded along. "Thank you, umm…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

Orion laughed. "I'm sorry, I didn't really introduce myself, did I?" he asked of his new companion. "Papa taught me good manners, really he did, but I don't always remember to use them. I'd shake your hand, but I think we'll wait for that. My name is Orion, Orion de Rais."

"Leonis Black," the boy told him. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Orion."

Orion smiled as he helped the other boy to stand. He felt sympathy well in him when the boy fought not to wince when he applied pressure to the leg with the skinned knee. Within moments though the boy was walking normally without a limp. That was good. Ascella told him that if he could walk normally after a leg injury that meant that any wounds were minor and easily remedied. It would be awful if his Papa had to take this boy to a true healer.

"Do you know what your father is purchasing?" Leonis asked him as they came to stand before the shop window. He was looking inside, watching with curious gray eyes as a handsome man with shaggy pale brown hair was smiling at the shopkeeper who was wrapping a book up in non-distinct brown paper.

Orion groaned as he glanced into the window and noticed that his father was indeed buying the Grimoire. Well, he had known that his father would get it in the end. Remus Lupin rarely left such great finds when he had the money to bargain for it. His father's amber gaze had gotten that glint in it that had told Orion he would just dig in his heels and be stubborn about the book.

"I wonder if it has some compulsion on it?" he mused aloud.

Leonis shot him a questioning look at that.

Orion sighed. "The book is a Grimoire," he said softly. "Dad saw it in this Muggle store here and he became rather obsessed with the idea of purchasing it. I just knew he'd not leave the store without it," he said resignedly.

"And it's a real Grimoire?" Leonis asked somewhat aghast. "I mean like the ones the ancient families keep?"

Orion nodded. "Sort of, yes," he said. "It is a Zabini Grimoire that was created for Lucretia Zabini. It was created a few centuries ago and who knows if anyone, but Lucretia ever used it, but Papa was enthralled with it so," he shrugged then and waved a hand toward the inside of the store where they could see Remus Lupin shaking hands with the store clerk.

Leonis looked like he was mulling that over. "Then shouldn't he give it back to the Zabini family?" he asked. "It is, after all, their Grimoire, their family secrets. Lucretia was given the right to them by a Zabini, but that doesn't mean that your father has a right to them."

Orion smiled in happiness at this. Those had been his thoughts exactly. He was so happy that his new friend agreed with him. "That was what I told Papa," he said happily but then his smile faded. "But he didn't seem to agree with me."

Leonis frowned at that. "Sometimes adults get confused I think," he said. "They make things complicated sometimes when it really shouldn't be," he added.

Orion agreed whole-heartedly with that. He glanced at Leonis's hands and felt sympathy swell in him. They really did look painful. If he had to guess, he'd say the boy's hands took more damage than his skinned knee.

The jingle of the bell on the storefront's door, made Orion turn to the door and look expectantly at his father. Remus Lupin exited the store with his book wrapped in the protective brown paper. Orion had seen his father wrap many books in such paper for customers at their store in Rennes. His father paused when he noted Leonis standing beside him and Orion smiled at the curious look that now adorned his father's face.

"Papa, this is my new friend," Orion began eagerly. He was speaking a bit swiftly in his excitement. "His name is Leonis Black, and he's like us. But Papa, he fell and hurt his hands and his knee. I told him you would help. You will help him, won't you Papa?"

Orion watched as his father looked over Leonis. There was some curiosity in his father's eyes as he took in the boy's appearance. Orion wondered if his father was cataloging all the ways in which Leonis and Orion resembled each other? Did his father see it too? The resemblance between them was fairly strong.

Orion pulled at his hand when Leonis began to fidget nervously beside him. This seemed to snap his father out of whatever thoughts were dominant in his mind. "Of course, we must help your friend, Ori," Remus assured him. "But where is your father?" he asked of Leonis.

Leonis blushed then. "I was upset and I ran away," he admitted. "I didn't mean to run away Sir," Leonis was swift to assure Remus. "I just," the boy struggled to find the right words and Orion smiled softly in encouragement. "We had a fight and I was really upset. All I could think of was that I wanted to get away from him and think for a little while," he finished.

Remus nodded and then he placed a gentle hand on the other boy's shoulder. "You know your father is probably really worried about you," he told Leonis in gentle reprimand.

Orion couldn't help but agree. He knew that his father would be frantic with worry. Surely Leonis's father was too. If he wasn't then he certainly didn't deserve him. Orion watched the gray eyes of his friend fill with hope.

"Do you really think so?" Leonis asked of Remus.

It was painful to see that hope in his friend and must wonder if it would be crushed. 'Please, please let his father love him more than anything,' Orion silently begged.

"I do," Remus reassured Leonis. "Come with me, we need to get you fixed up and then we'll look for your father," Remus ordered.

Orion smiled at that and fell into step beside his new friend as they followed his father from the Muggle area, back toward the Inn that he and Orion were staying at. The walk really hadn't taken them long and soon enough they were settled back into Room 12 of the Inn.

"Alright," Remus said with a soft smile as he looked at Leonis. "Why don't you take a seat here," he said indicating a chair beside the window. "And we'll have a look at your wounds eh?"

Leonis smiled at that and he settled himself into the chair before the window. Orion made his way to one of the two beds in the room and settled down on the edge of the bed as he watched his father cluck over his knee. A quick cleansing spell was followed by a spell that would slowly reknit the skin. Orion watched in fascination as the skin of his split knee slowly reformed.

"Fortunately, the damage isn't so great that you'd need nasty potions," Remus said with a smile for Leonis.

"What does it feel like?" Orion asked. "I've skinned my knee before and when Papa healed it, it felt like little bugs running over it. It tickled more than anything," he added.

"It tickles a little and it itches," Leonis admitted even as Remus began to tend to his hands. He giggled as the skin of one hand began to heal up.

Orion laughed at that. "Well, at least getting healed up doesn't hurt as bad as getting hurt in the first place."

Remus smiled ruefully. "That isn't necessarily true, cub," he said looking at Orion after healing the last of Leonis's injuries.

"Really?" he asked. "Healing injuries can hurt?" he asked.

Leonis nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Getting a broken bone hurts and taking Skelegrow is also uncomfortable," he said. "My Aunt Andromeda is a Healer and she lectured my cousin Draco and I about it when she saw us roughhousing."

Remus chuckled at that. "She'd know ten being as she's a Healer," he said. "A friend of mine had to take Skelegrow when I was in school at Hogwart's," he revealed.

"You attended Hogwart's Mr. De Rais?" Leonis asked.

"Lupin actually," Remus said. "My name is Remus Lupin," he introduced himself.

"Oh," Leonis blushed. "Orion said his name was De Rais and since you are his father, I thought that was your name as well."

"An easy assumption to make," Remus said cheerfully. "And to answer your question, yes, I did attend Hogwarts School."

Orion smiled at that. "He hasn't decided if I shall be going to Hogwarts or to Beauxbaton's," he admitted.

Leonis looked thoughtful at this. "Where do you live, if I may ask?"

"France," Orion said. "We live in Bretagne."

"Brittany," Leonis mused aloud using the English name for the region. "Do most Wixen children that grow up in France attend Beauxbaton's?" he questioned.

Orion nodded. "Yeah, most do," he said. "I don't know many, but the few I do know will be attending Beauxbaton's."

"It's not compulsory though," Remus informed them. "I could choose to enroll Orion at Hogwart's if he liked and if we thought he would enjoy the educational opportunities there."

Leonis smiled shyly at Orion. "I hope you will consider it," he said. "I'm going to be attending Hogwart's," he said. "It's already been decided by my Guardian and by the Lord of my House," he added.

Orion smiled brightly at that. "I promise to consider Hogwart's as a school of choice," he promised his new friend. "It would be nice to attend school with you. We could get to know one another better," he said. "Maybe your father will let us have play dates?"

Leonis paused at that, clearly unsure. "I hope so," he finally said.

Remus stood then. "Perhaps we should find your father, Leonis," he suggested and not a second later a knock sounded at the door. Orion shrugged his shoulders when Leonis looked to him in silent question as Remus went to answer the door.

Orion couldn't properly understand all that he felt when he looked at the man standing on the other side of the doorway. Sirius Black. Sirius Black, his birth father was standing in their doorway. He wasn't sure he was ready to meet his man yet. How did he find them anyway? The answer came a moment later and really Orion should have seen it coming. They did look like they could be brother's after all.

"Father," Leonis breathed out as his gray eyes remained riveted upon Sirius Black. His voice had trembled as he spoke, and it seemed to spur Sirius into action. He moved past Remus in a rush and without averting his blue-eyed gaze from Leonis. There was literally no one else more important than Leonis in the man's eyes, Orion could tell by the single-minded way he didn't even glance at anyone or anything else.

Sirius lifted Leonis up into his arms the moment he reached him and just gathered the boy close to him. Orion watched with wide blue eyes, just taking in the sight of his birth father cradling what was obviously his half-brother in his arms. Sirius cradled Leonis's head to him and he put his own head to the boy's neck seeming to breathe in the scent of him. Orion knew what that was, scent marking! His father had done that too him plenty of times. Particularly after he had spent long days restoring a manuscript and Orion had been left in the care of others. Was Sirius like his father? Was he a Werewolf too?

Leonis wound his arms around Sirius's neck and then broke into soft sobs. "Father, please, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I didn't mean to go so far," Leonis babbled even as he seemed to fight the sobs.

Orion sat on the bed and clenched his hands in his lap. He wanted to go to Leonis and wrap him up in a hug and reassure him that it was okay. That he didn't mean to, so it was okay, but he couldn't do that. This moment wasn't meant for him. He felt somehow like he shouldn't even be witnessing this moment, but he couldn't stand to turn away.

Instead, his eyes drank in the sight of Sirius Black as he slowly sat down in the chair by the window with Leonis in his lap. The older man rocked his brother in his arms and whispered soothing words that carried to where Orion sat primly on the edge of the bed not far away from them. "I love you, Leonis. You scared years off of my life. Please, no matter how much of a berk I can be don't ever run away from me like that again. Please," he heard his birth father whisper to Leonis. "I couldn't take it if something terrible happened to you. It would destroy me."

'It would destroy me.' Orion was sure he'd never, ever forget the way Sirius Black's voice had sounded as he made that admission. The man sounded like the words were ripped from him. Agonized and pure, as if it were the most earnest confession the man had ever uttered in all of his life.

"I'm not great at this parenting thing," Sirius said gently to Leonis, still stroking the boy's back, soothing him with touch and words. "You deserve better, but you have me, and I want to be a better father."

"I shouldn't have run," Leonis rejoined. "I was angry and hurt," the boy admitted, and Orion approved of his honesty. "I wanted space to think, but I wasn't trying to leave you. I don't want another father. I just want you to understand."

Orion watched Sirius rest his head against Leonis's and he somehow knew that the two would find a way to be alright with each other. He smiled and looked back toward his Papa. Remus stood watching them and smiling softly but also sad at the sight of Sirius Black sitting in their little room in the quaint little Inn with Leonis wrapped up in his arms.

'He can't hide me anymore,' Orion realized. Ascella had explained it to him a few months ago. She had told him that his father knew he should seek out the Black family about him but feared to do so because he feared to lose him. He hadn't really needed Ascella to explain that to him. His father hadn't kept that a secret. Orion knew that Remus was afraid of the Black's taking him away from him because he had told him so. They had had the conversation right after they had learned in the papers that Sirius Black had been released from unjust imprisonment in Azkaban Prison.

Well, he didn't want to leave his Papa, so they would all just have to argue it out and decide to do things in a way that Orion found acceptable. He wasn't against spending time with Sirius Black. The man sitting before him, comforting Leonis seemed like a man who might be worth knowing. Maybe he was one of those people that Thierry said could enrich his life by knowing them. The shy pretty Veela was always saying things like that to Orion when he seemed reticent about making new friends.

"No Lion, I was beyond worried. I was snarling and unreasonable with fear," Sirius said affectionately to Leonis, and that pulled Orion's attention back to the man and his half-brother. That was pretty cool, he definitely liked the idea of having Leonis as a sibling, Orion decided.

Then Sirius looked to Remus and Orion tensed slightly as he watched the way his Papa watched Sirius. Remus was watching Sirius with sympathetic eyes which caused Sirius to smile. Orion relaxed slowly as he took in their easy comradery.

"Thank you for taking care of him Remus," Sirius said to his Papa, gratitude bleeding through his voice. "I don't know what I would have done if something terrible had happened to him."

His Papa nodded his head at that. "I was in Giovanni's Antiques making a purchase and Orion was bored so I told him he could wait for me outside so long he stayed in sight of the store window, so I could see him. When I exited the shop, he had a little friend with him who had fallen and skinned up his knee and his palms. When the boy admitted to having gotten lost, I took him with us so that we could heal him up and then we were going to search for his father. Seems like you found us first," Remus explained in a rush. His voice was a matter of fact, but the way he rushed through his explanation told Orion just how nervous his Papa was.

"Orion?" Sirius questioned.

"I'm Orion, Sir," he informed him, finally speaking up from his place on the bed near Sirius and Leonis. He watched Sirius's blue eyes widen in shock as he took in the sight of him and Orion didn't really have to guess why. It was his looks. He practically looked like a child version of this man. He supposed it was nice to know that he'd be a good-looking man when he got older. Yes, he could stand to be that good-looking when he was older, Orion decided.

His Papa spoke up then. "Sirius, this is Orion de Rais, my son."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Coming to Terms

Prosecco, Trieste, Italy

December 26, 1986

"Your son?" Sirius Black asked. His tone was full of surprise and curiosity. Orion didn't hesitate to meet his birth father's gaze as the man stared at him. For all of his courage, it was a relief when his Papa's voice broke through the silence.

"You have probably noticed that I am not his biological father," Remus said even as he motioned for Orion to come to him.

Orion complied, scrambling off of the bed and all too happily moving over to his Papa. He smiled as Remus pulled him close and then pulled him to sit in his lap. They didn't sit like this as often as they used to, but they still did so on occasion and Orion felt himself be comforted by the familiarity of the action.

Orion's attention was drawn again to Sirius when the man cleared his throat. "He looks just like me," Sirius said. "Well, the way I looked as a child," he admitted in a bewildered tone. Orion felt his Papa nod even as he cuddled Orion closer to him.

Silence descended upon them and it was unnerving to watch Sirius look from him to his Papa and back again. Finally, Sirius broke the silence and asked the question. "Is he mine?"

Orion felt his Papa tense at the question and he clutched at the man's arm. This was frightening. Papa was frightened, had been frightened all along that Sirius Black would one day find out that Orion was his son and then he'd take him away from Papa. Orion didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave his Papa!

"Yes," was the sharp reply from his Papa. "You are his biological father."

It was silent for a few moments as Sirius Black seemed to register the words. "How?" was the only thing that the man asked.

The question seemed to spark his Papa to anger. "How? I should think that would be obvious," Remus spat. Orion wriggled then in his lap, uncomfortable with his Papa's anger. Remus took a few deep breaths forcing himself to calm down. He gently rubbed Orion's arm to comfort him. "Look, Sirius, we really need to talk about this, but we shouldn't do this in front of Orion and Leonis," Remus declared.

Sirius swiftly nodded in agreement. "I think that we both need to spend time together to mend this rift between us," Sirius stated firmly. Then he spoke with a voice of authority, unconsciously showing that despite how he had turned away from his family years before, he was every bit the scion of noble upbringing. "Pack your bags. You won't be staying here another night. You'll stay as my guests at Belvedere."

"Sirius," Remus started to argue only to be cut off by Sirius.

"I will swear an oath on my magic if you wish. One that will promise that I will not keep you and Orion against your will. I just want us to have time to sort this out, Remus," he sounded sincere.

Orion couldn't see his Papa's face, but he could feel the tenseness in his father's frame. Remus was clearly unsure of whether or not this was a good idea. Orion didn't doubt that Papa's inner wolf was snarling at the idea of going to Sirius's den. It was Leonis that tipped the scales into Sirius's favor in the end.

"Mr. Lupin, could you and Orion please come to spend the rest of your holiday with us at Belvedere?" Leonis asked very politely.

Orion's eagerness to comply, to spend more time with his half-brother must have shown on his face because it took his Papa only looking from an eager Leonis to Orion's own face before he gave him, some of the fight leaving his frame.

"Very well," he agreed and then with a flick of his wand their belongings began to sail around the room back into their luggage.

'Oh! How did I not notice that he had his wand drawn?' Orion wondered. He was usually very good about noticing when his Papa had chosen to draw his wand. Ascella would be disappointed in him for not having noticed it. Well, perhaps he shouldn't tell her. Or maybe she'd forgive him for not noticing just this once?

Orion stayed close to his father as the four of them departed from the room and they went to return the room key to the Inn Keeper and make sure that their bill was paid in full. Sirius and Leonis awaited them outside.

"Orion, all you shall have to do is say the word and we'll leave," Remus promised him. There was a worried crease in his brow and a pinched look around his eyes. He wasn't used to seeing his father look like this, hadn't been since they opened their store in Wixen Lyon.

"I promise, Papa," he assured him. "I won't let him take me away from you," he vowed. It wasn't what his Papa had asked of him, but it was what Remus dearly wanted. It was easy to promise since it was what Orion wanted too.

"I really wish it were that simple, pup," Remus murmured even as he placed a kiss to his brow. Then Orion was led outside to where Sirius and Leonis awaited them.

Orion found himself holding his Papa's hand and walking beside Leonis. His half-brother was likewise holding hands with Sirius. Both of the adults had decided that the children should walk in the middle, subtly protected. Orion had no idea if this was good parenting at work or the natural inclination of most Wizards to protect children. Either way, it allowed him to walk beside his new-found half-brother so, he wouldn't complain.

The boys exchanged looks and small smiles but neither spoke. It was clear that each understood that there was a tension between their fathers and they didn't want to say anything to set either of the adults off into an argument. Orion knew his Papa was made at Sirius though he didn't know why. Some of it was probably the fear that Sirius would take him away. Well, Sirius would have a hard time doing that. If Leonis could run off then so could Orion! There'd be no way Orion could be kept if he didn't want to be kept.

His first glance at Belvedere stole his breath. It was like one of those pretty big Mansions that his Papa's clients lived in. It was made of stone that looked white gold in the late afternoon sun. He had read about stone like this, it changed color slightly as it was warmed by the sun or it reflected the sky, something like that. Either way, it was a very pretty effect.

"Leonis, why don't you and Orion go into the house and alert cook to the fact that we have returned? Tell her that I am showing Orin's father around the grounds and that we'll be in shortly," Sirius said to Leonis.

Leonis nodded his head and then turned to Orion. "Come on, Orion. Cook makes great treats. She has a hurt ankle right now, so we can offer to help her."

Orion was happy at the prospect. He wanted to escape the tension between his two fathers, if only for a little while. He glanced at Remus for permission.

"Stay with Leonis and be a good boy," Remus said, affection lacing his voice.

"I will, Papa," Orion promised and then he began to leave with Leonis. A moment later he turned back and looked sternly from one man to the other. "You two be good too."

This startled a laugh from Sirius. Remus merely smiled, a truly genuine smile full of exasperated affection. "Of course, we will," He reassured Orion.

Orion tried not to stare in awe as he followed Leonis into the house and through the hallway toward what would presumably be the kitchens. The walls looked to be made of marble with golden veins inlaid into the white marble. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it, to see if he could feel the texture, but that was silly. He knew better than to reach out and touch things that didn't belong to him. Belvedere certainly didn't belong to him.

Entering the kitchen was another moment that inspired awe within him. It was a large room with many gleaming worktop counters. It made him realize that Belvedere was equipped to have several House-Elves. There would be plenty of room for them in this kitchen to prepare great dinners for many people. Belvedere was either meant to host many people or for it to be a family home that would hold a large family. It was a far cry from his and Papa's simple but cozy kitchen back in Rennes.

He paused as he took in the woman wearing an apron and stirring batter in a big bowl. She was a far cry from what he had envisioned when Leonis had mentioned their cook. The blonde-haired woman looked far too elegant for spending most of her time on culinary delights. She wore an expensive looking chain of gold with a pretty charm that bore some sort of family crest on the end. Was it common for most cooks to wear their pretty jewelry while they cooked? Wouldn't they save that for when they were not working? Like how Ascella didn't wear all of her pretty jewels while working at the bookstore but he had seen her wear pretty rings and necklaces on other occasions?

"Grandma!" Leonis's voice showed his surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Your grandfather and I received a call from a very distressed Healer Amiel and decided to pop in for a little visit," the woman replied as she set down the bowl and came around the counter to look at Leonis. She gently touched his cheek and smiled with what looked like relief. "You don't look any worse for wear for your little adventure," she pronounced. "Now, introduce me to your friend and then you both can help me make chocolate chip cookies."

"Yes, of course," Leonis said and at that moment he sounded just like a nobleman. It was a reminder to Orion that his half-brother was a nobleman. In fact, Leonis was the Heir of the Noble House of Black. "Grandmother, I have the pleasure of presenting unto you, my half-brother, Orion Lupin. Orion, this is our Grandmother, Lady Melania Black."

The woman looked started by Leonis's introduction and she didn't bother to hide it. "Brother?" she asked in surprise.

"It is my pleasure to meet you Lady Black," Orion said, and he offered her a bow. He hoped he did that right. He had been practicing with Thierry and Ascella. There were many nobles now who sought out his father. Orion had wanted to learn the proper ways to interact with them so as not to offend them. If he offended them then they might not want to do business with his father. His father enjoyed fixing their hurt books, so Orion didn't want to chase away the nobles by having bad manners.

Melania Black took a step closer to him and she gently took hold of his face and stared into his eyes. Orion was startled to realize that his eyes were the exact same shade of blue as her own. "You look just like Sirius did when he was a boy," she said softly.

He didn't know what to say to that revelation. He knew he resembled Sirius Black. He resembled him too much for there to be any real doubt as to his true parentage. For all that Remus Lupin was his papa who had loved him and raised him, it was Sirius Black who had sired him.

"Remarkable," Melania murmured thoughtfully as she continued to examine him. "Another great-grandson," she said, and her voice suggested that she was quite delighted by the prospect of having another great-grandson. It eased something inside of Orion who longed to be liked by this woman. She was his Great-Grandmother after all, and he and his Papa had been alone without any other family for so long. They had slowly been making their own with the people that his papa employed but this was a true blood relative. He hoped he could make her like him.

She gently released her hold on his chin and then she took hold of his arm and gently steered him to a preparation table and helped him to settle upon a stool. Leonis climbed up onto the stool directly to his left. She once more took up the bowl of cookie batter and she handed a bag of chocolate chips to Orion. "Here, pour in as many of these as you like," she urged.

Grinning, Orion complied. In the end, he dumped the whole bag of cholate chips into the batter and then he watched with a smile on his face as Melania began to stir them into the batter. "Good choice, I do so enjoy chocolate chip cookies," she praised.

"She makes the best cookies," Leonis murmured with a grin as Melania went to the already prepared cookie sheet and began to spoon out dough onto the sheet.

"Orion, I wish for you to tell me about your life," she addressed him as she continued her task.

Orion ducked his head and glanced to his left at Leonis who also looked curiously at him. "I don't know what you really wish to hear," he said suddenly feeling quite shy.

"When were you born, sweetheart?" His Great-Grandmother asked.

Orion blinked. Oh. Basics. He could tell her basics. Yes, that was a good place to start. "Oh umm… well, I was born on July 29, 1980. Papa says that I was born premature because my Mama was in very poor health throughout the pregnancy and so I had to be born early in order to try to save us both," he said, and he felt the bittersweet sadness that he always felt when he spoke of his mother. He wished that he could have known Sylvia de Rais as someone other than a woman in the beautiful wistful stories that his Papa told him. Sometimes she seemed too wonderful to have been real in those stories. Orion wished that he could have known his mother.

"I see, and where is your mother?" she asked of him.

"She's with the angels," Orion said simply because that is how his father had always described it. Sylvia de Rais had died, and she was now with the angels far from their reach.

"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry," Melania said after taking a moment to digest his words and their inherent meaning.

"Was it just after you were born?" Leonis asked gently.

Orion nodded but didn't verbalize a response.

They were silent a few moments while Melania placed the cookie sheets into the oven. Then she turned back to them. "Who has been raising you?"

"Papa," he said. "That is to say, Mr. Remus Lupin," he clarified. "He was mother's beloved when she died, and she left instructions in her Last Will and Testament that I was his to raise and care for and that he was to manage the business that she had built and give it to me when I was an adult," he added.

"Lupin," Melania mused. "I think that Sirius had a friend by that name when he was in his school years," she said.

"He did, Remus Lupin," Leonis informed her.

Melania's blue eyes sparkled with interest, but she didn't give voice to her thoughts. "What is this business that Mr. Lupin governs for you?"

"DeRais Books," Orion answered. "We have a store in Muggle Rennes, one in Muggle London, and one in the Coeur de Lion in Lyon," he said proudly.

"I have been into the DeRais Books in the Coeur de Lion," she remarked. "It is a very fine establishment, well-staffed," she added.

Orion puffed out his chest in pride at her compliments. "Thank you, Papa was able to hire some really wonderful people to work there."

She hummed in agreement. "But why the stores in Muggle Rennes and Muggle London?" she asked, clearly confused by why Wizards would have stores in the Muggle world.

"They were mother's stores," Orion said. "Her first store was opened in Rennes and then a few years later she had enough capital to open up a store in London."

"Yes, but why in the Muggle world?" she asked still clearly confused.

Orion stared at her in confusion for a moment and then he realized why she was confused. "Oh, well Mama was a Muggle," he said it simply. "So, she wouldn't have known about the magical world, let alone be able to open any stores in Wizarding shopping centers."

"A muggle?" She gasped at that. Then she gave a little shake of her head and amusement crossed her pretty features. There were laughter lines around her eyes and her mouth and Orion thought that they made her look even more beautiful. "Of course, Sirius would take a Muggle as a lover," she said.

Orion frowned at that. Was Melania one of those people who thought that Wizards and Witches should not befriend Muggles? If so he wasn't sure he wanted to become that close to her after all.

"Melania," a masculine voice came from the doorway. "Why didn't you see fit to tell me that the Heir Black had returned?" There was censure in the man's voice.

"Arcturus," his Great-Grandmother greeted the man. "I'm sorry darling, I was distracted by Orion here," she said motioning toward him. "It would seem that our Sirius has yet another son that we didn't know about."

Orion fought hard not to fidget as he came under the stare of the man. Instead, he met the man's gray-eyed gaze and tried to remember everything that Thierry had told him. He shouldn't avert his gaze because it would be taken as a sign of weakness. Stay still, do not allow your body to give away what you are really feeling. It was hard to do. His foot tapped against the stool because he still couldn't keep completely still. He figured that Thierry and Ascella would have to work on him more to get him used to remain still for any length of time.

The man, Arcturus, came further into the room and Orion was relieved since the lighting made it easier to study him. He was dressed in business robes made of a black material that Orion couldn't hope to name. He didn't pay much attention to clothing materials. Pretty silver embroidery lined the collar and cuffs of his robes. Ascella had many pretty robes that had that exact embroidered design along the collar and cuffs. He looked to be as tall as Sirius and his hair was black with silver laced throughout. He was an attractive man with a handsome face, but his piercing gray eyes were his most compelling feature.

"You look like Sirius," Arcturus said then addressing Orion.

Orion nodded then because of course, he knew he looked like Sirius. Then he blushed in embarrassment. He had forgotten his manners. Ascella really didn't need to know how much of his etiquette lessons he had been forgetting on this trip, did she? Yes, she didn't need to know. He managed to climb down from his stool a moment later and he moved to stand before Arcturus Black. He bowed a moment later, remembering how from the many ways that Ascella had drilled him in this exercise.

"It is my honor to meet you, Lord Black," he stated. "I am Orion Lupin."

He really hoped he did that right. He slowly arose and looked up at one of the most influential Lords in Europe. He was proud of himself when he noticed the smile curving the man's lips.

"Well met, Orion Lupin," Lord Black said approvingly. "You are studying etiquette then, young man?"

Orion nodded his head. "Yes, Ascella and Thierry are teaching me," he said proudly.

"Ascella? Thierry?" Arcturus asked of him.

"Ascella Blasine and Thierry Bazire," Orion said.

"Ah," Arcturus said after a moment of contemplation. "Ascella is a good girl. Youngest of three girls," he said. "She's from a fine noble house," he said with a smile that could only be called smug curving his lips. "The Bazire family is a lesser branch of the Belizaire's, is it not my love?" he said the last addressing Melania.

"It is," Melania said. "Not the Belizaire's have done much for the Bazire's," she said with a sniff. "Thierry is the youngest of six siblings."

"Why would the Belizaire's not take care of this branch of their family?" Leonis asked, his tone curious.

"The Bazire's are Veela and the Belizaire's are one of the few French Wizarding families who does not like Veela," Arcturus explained.

Leonis frowned at that. "But almost everyone knows that Veela practically runs the French Ministry. It's nearly impossible to find a Noble family in France that doesn't have Veela blood somewhere in the line."

Orion nodded. "That's true. Papa and I don't pay much attention to politics and even we know that."

Arcturus chuckled at his exasperation. "You are quite correct, boys," he said. "The Belizaire's are a dying breed. Most of the noble families of France embrace those with creature blood. As you said Leonis, the French Ministry is practically run by them."

"I'm not fond of the Belizaire's," Melania declared then with a sniff. "They don't take care of their kin, but they expect them to hop to and do their bidding. They treat them like slaves, not family. It's despicable."

Arcturus nodded his agreement. "Perhaps I'll reach out to the Bazire's. See what we can do for them."

Melania smiled at him. "Thank you, darling. It would ease my mind."

"Anything for you, my love," he promised. It made Orion giggle to see these two showing affection.

"Now, I think I would like to hear all about Orion. I would like to know how Sirius hid his son from us," Arcturus pronounced.

Orion giggled again. "I wasn't in hiding," he said. "Well, Sirius didn't know about me. He was in Azkaban and then he wasn't anymore," he tried to explain.

There was a loud sound then, like the jingling of bells. "Cookies should be ready to come out of the oven now," Melania said as the sound faded away. She immediately grabbed oven mitts and went to fetch the cookies from the oven.

"Perfect," Arcturus pronounced. "Dredd," he called out and a moment later there was a pop and a House-Elf appeared. Orion had slowly gotten used to seeing House-Elves since many attended to the noble clientele that had begun to frequent his father's shop. "Please get two glasses," he paused when Melania cleared her throat. "Yes, forgive me, dearest," the man said to Melania before turning back to the House-Elf. "Make that three glasses of milk and take them to the office."

"Very good, Lord Black," the House-Elf muttered.

"Come, boys," Arcturus invited them. "This sounds like it will be a long and interesting tale. Such things are always better with milk and cookies."

Orion smiled at that and he looked to Leonis who returned his smile. He waited for Leonis to climb down from the stool and then the two boys followed Arcturus from the room with Melania following a moment later with a platter filled with chocolate chip cookies.

* * *

The two men watched the children leave them and slowly they began strolling toward a far part of the property. Remus was grateful for that. He was pretty sure he was going to lose his temper with Sirius and he didn't want Orion or Leonis to hear or be able to see him when it happened.

"He's a cheeky little thing, isn't he?" Sirius said.

Remus smirked then. "Yes," he agreed. He looked at Sirius then and sighed. "Sometimes he has reminded me of you so much it ached inside."

Sirius blinked in clearly surprised by that. "I owe you an apology, Remus," he said softly.

Whatever for?" Remus asked him.

"The traitor," Sirius said. "I didn't want to at first, but eventually I did let myself believe that you could be the traitor in The Order. It was why James and I set things up the way we did. Instead of asking you to be the Secret Keeper with me as the Decoy, we asked Peter. I never should have doubted you. I knew what kind of man you were and yet I let myself,"

"Sirius," Remus said cutting him off and the two men came to a halt on an edge of the property that had a wall of stone keeping them from a long drop to the shore. They both looked out over the private beach and to the beautiful blue choppy waves of the Adriatic Sea below. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. Those were awful and frightening days. Besides, if I couldn't forgive you for that, then how could I ever ask you to forgive me for believing that you could have turned on James like that?"

Sirius cracked a sad smile then. "Forgiven of course," he said. They continued to watch the choppy waters lap at the shore. It was easier somehow to talk to each other this way, without looking at one another. They remained this way for several moments, just watching the water, gathering their thoughts for the hard conversation that they needed to have. Sirius turned at last to face him. Remus turned his attention to him as well and the two stared at one another for several long minutes.

At last Sirius broke the silence. "How is Orion mine?" he asked of him.

Remus's eyes filled with disgust once more and his hands clenched at his sides. "You always were the playboy, Sirius," he reminded his old friend. "Surely you can figure it out."

Sirius frowned at that. "I slept around, I won't deny that. I also don't think there is anything wrong with it. I never led a woman to believe she'd get more of me than a casual relationship," Sirius replied.

"You didn't initially know about Leonis and you didn't know about Orion either," Remus said with venom in his voice. "Tell me, Sirius, do you have any other unknown children running around?"

Sirius scowled at that. "Olivia didn't tell me about Leonis and apparently neither did Orion's mother. If they had then I would have done right by them both," Sirius seethed as he glared at Remus. "Family is important to me."

"Is it?" Remus asked in a raised voice venting his anger. "Is it really? Because I remember you turning your little brother away each time he approached you at school. I remember you ridiculing him. I also remember how you ran away from your parents at sixteen and vowed you wanted nothing more to do with your family."

Sirius looked as though Remus had struck him and in that moment, Remus felt a savage sort of pleasure in that. Sirius' hands clenched into fists at his sides and he said in a voice that had gone cold and lethal, "Never mention Regulus to me again."

Remus paused then and stared hard at Sirius. For a moment he wanted to push him about Regulus. He wanted to push because he could sense the wound was still as fresh for Sirius as the day he had learned that Regulus was dead. He wanted to give voice to all of those thoughts that he had kept quiet during their Hogwarts days. How often had he thought that Sirius was being too cruel to his younger brother, but he said nothing, too afraid that voicing disagreement with James and Sirius would lead to the loss of their friendship? In those early years he had feared the loss of the only friends he had ever made so he remained quiet. Then, by the time Remus did feel truly secure in his friendship with James and Sirius, Regulus had stopped coming near Sirius. The boy had been rejected so many times that he had finally stopped seeking Sirius's affection. Since he didn't come around anymore, Remus remained silent. Had he been a better friend to Sirius all those years ago, he wouldn't have remained silent. He would have spoken up when Sirius was pushing his baby brother away. He had been cowardly then and remained silent. He didn't have the right to say anything about it now. At last, he nodded his acceptance.

Sirius slowly seemed to calm down after Remus's acceptance that Regulus was a topic that was off limits. "My mother was abusive Remus, I had to get away. My failing, in the end, was that I blinded myself to certain truths. I told myself that Slytherin equaled evil and so all of them were evil. When Reg," he paused because it was hard to talk about Regulus even now. "When Regulus sorted into Slytherin it broke my heart because I believed Slytherin's were evil. I turned on my brother because of that stupid belief."

Remus felt a moment of remorse as Sirius explained and he shook his head as compassion arose within him for his old friend. "All of us thought that back then. Lily even stopped being friends with Snape over that belief. Oh, his calling her that name was just the final straw. You really didn't think Lily was so shallow that she would stop being friends with someone over that, did you?"

Sirius slowly shook his head in the negative. He sighed and looked at Remus. "You are angry with me about Orion. I want to know why. Please, Remus, just tell me why you are angry."

Remus felt the anger return with full force. The wolf inside clamoring to come out and attack. If Remus hadn't learned more control over the years it would be too dangerous for him to be standing there with Sirius, even now in broad daylight, so vicious was his anger at Sirius. He stared at him for several long moments and the blue of his eyes was slowly taken over by amber. "I'm angry at you yes," he admitted. "I don't want to be but I am. I am so angry at you Sirius."

Sirius frowned in confusion. "Why?" he asked again.

"Because you don't even remember her, do you?" Remus shouted at him suddenly. "You don't remember Ori's mother. You cannot recall her face or the sound of her voice. I bet you don't remember her name. I bet you didn't even bother to find out her name before you took her to your bed," Remus continued to shout. It felt so good to shout. It felt so very good to unleash his anger. "You don't remember her at all, do you? Do you?!"

Sirius slowly shook his head in the negative.

"That is why I am so angry at you, Sirius!" Remus shouted. "Because you don't even remember her, and I will never forget her," he declared, his voice shaking slightly. "I'll always remember the way she smiled and there was that dimple in her right cheek. I will always remember the way her eyes lit up when she was happy. The way the sunlight could shine on her hair and the scent of her. I'll always remember how she looked the day she died, too frail from the pregnancy," Remus shuddered then, and his eyes glazed over with tears. "But no matter how angry I am at you for not remembering her, I am angrier at myself because I didn't save her."

Sirius reached for him then and pulled Remus into his arms. Remus let him because as much as he felt anger toward Sirius, this was still his friend, still his brother in spirit. He collapsed against Sirius, crying against him. "I'm here, Remus," Sirius said softly. "I know it's a bit late and you'd rather have her back, but I'm here for you."

He had loved her. Oh Merlin! How he had loved Sylvia de Rais. His greatest regret in his life was that he had not done enough for her. Had she known he loved her? Had she really known? She deserved love and happiness. She had deserved to live, and watch Orion grow into a man she could be proud of. She was everything good and beautiful in the world. She was…she was just everything. His everything.

Slowly Remus began to calm and Sirius, at last, let him pull away. Remus wouldn't look at him at first but at last, he spoke a few simple words. "Thank you," he said, and Sirius nodded.

At last Sirius asked of him, "What was the name of the woman you loved?"

"Sylvia," Remus's voice broke as he said her name. It took him a few moments to regain his composure. "Her name was Sylvia de Rais. She split her time between Rennes and London. When in London she lived in the flat down the hall from your old flat. She was beautiful, delicate, and kind. I met her one day when I went to see you. She was moving into her flat and I helped her. She took me out for dinner as a thank you after that. We became friends. When I was in London I would visit her. I thought of her when I was away on missions for the Order. Sometimes I think that just thinking of her while I was away on those missions kept me alive. I would think of her and long to go home to her. Then one time I came back to give news of my mission to Dumbledore. Once he dismissed me I rushed to Sylvia. She was distressed because she was pregnant. She told me that she had engaged in a one-night stand with the handsome man that lived down the hall from her," at this, he glared at Sirius. "She knew she would need help raising the child and didn't know what she would do. I offered my help, little as it might be." Remus explained and then a wistful smile curved his lips. "She taught me my current trade."

"What is it that you do now?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I own deRais Books. It was left for me by Sylvia with the condition that I one day give the chain to Orion. It's a small chain but growing. Sylvia owned the store in Rennes and the one she had set up in London before her death. Now both stores are prosperous, though the Rennes store is more so because that is where my workshop is. I recently opened a deRais Books in the Magical center of Lyon. So far it is doing quite well," Remus explained to him. "She taught me how to repair old manuscripts and I have made a good deal of business from that."

"I am sorry that you lost her, Remus," he said gently. "I am thankful that you had her for that little time though, and I am glad that it was you that she confided in and not me," he admitted.

Remus was startled by Sirius's confession. "Why?"

Sirius shook his head and sighed. "I would have stood by her and offered her support, but it would have been the support of a stranger. We had only shared one night of passion and a few bits of conversation here and there over the course of a few weeks. If she had not pushed it that night, it wouldn't have happened and then there would be no Orion," Sirius explained. "You gave her what she really needed. She needed love and care and you were there."

Remus slowly nodded in understanding. "I wish I could have saved her," he admitted. "I never even told her that I," he trailed off, unable to say the words.

Sirius gave him a look of understanding. Remus supposed maybe he did. Both of them had loved and lost, hadn't they?

"I promised myself that I wouldn't keep Orion from you Sirius," Remus finally broached the topic that he had long feared. "Once I read about your exoneration and innocence, I knew that I would have to eventually tell you about Ori; I should have written to you. I should have, but I thought of you struggling to overcome what Azkaban must have done to you and I decided to wait. I really just waited because I wanted more time. I was scared you would take Orion from me," Remus admitted his cowardice.

Sirius winced at that last bit. "I might have thought to if you had written to me so I'm glad that you didn't," Sirius admitted to him. "When I was released from Azkaban, I wanted to take immediate custody of Harry and of Leonis, but I knew I'd have to get healthier first. Now," he paused for a moment and ran a hand through his black curls. "Now, I wouldn't part Harry from Petunia. She has taken good care of him while I was unable to do so, and it would hurt him to be parted from her. The same goes for Leonis. I still want him with me but whether I like it or not my Great-Aunt Cassiopeia has done a good job raising him thus far. I think you have done a great job with Orion, from what little I have seen of him. What I'm trying to say is," he looked deep into Remus's eyes and stated clearly "I don't want to take him away from you. He's your son, but he's my son too. I want to be able to get to know him. I want to be able to visit him and for him to visit me."

This was so far beyond any of Remus's imaginings. He had always thought that Sirius would snatch Orion away from him all while yelling at Remus for keeping him from him. Instead, Sirius was offering to let Remus remain as Orion's primary caretaker while Sirius would have the right to visit and get to know Orion. There was really only one way for him to respond to Sirius's proposal of how they would handle things with Orion. Remus nodded his agreement. "He wants to get to know you, but he said not if you were going to take him away from me," he admitted the last almost afraid that it would anger Sirius.

Sirius only nodded in perfect understanding. "We need to put things into writing," Sirius said. "I think we'll both feel better if things are legally ironed out to protect your rights to custody of Orion and my own to visitation."

Remus was relieved. "Thank you, Sirius," he said.

Sirius nodded. "We'll need to alert Lord Black of this as well," Sirius admitted with a grimace even as he motioned for him and Remus to walk back toward the house. "He'll need to know that there is another child of the House of Black, even if he is fostered by one Remus Lupin."

"Fostered?" Remus inquired, recognizing the old Wizarding Tradition. Sometimes children of the noble houses would be handed over to a worthy friend of the family to be raised. It was deemed a sign of great honor and respect to the friend, a sign that they and their skills were valued. That they were as dear as family. In another life perhaps, it would have been James who would have been granted a chance to foster one of Sirius's sons. "Isn't that a bit archaic?"

Sirius nodded agreement. "Yes, but if I pitch it that way then he might just decide to involve himself as little as possible in this matter."

"You don't sound very hopeful that he will," Remus observed as they entered the gardens.

Sirius started up the stairs with a sigh. "I'm not," he admitted. "I expect us to have to fight for this, but I know it is the right decision. Orion should not be uprooted, and you are in agreement that he should be allowed to know his other family so surely we can convince Lord Black," he said at last as he entered the study. He froze at the sight before him. Remus paused behind him and looked over his shoulder. He blanched at what he saw.

Sitting in one of the luxurious high-backed chairs near the fireplace was Sirius's grandfather, Arcturus Black. Seated on the sofa was his Grandmother, Melania Black and beside her was seated the two boys, Orion and Leonis. Melania seemed to be listening to the boys regale her with the tale of how they had met. Remus caught snippets of their conversation, but he couldn't really follow the flow because their presence in Sirius's home frightened him.

'Please, please don't let them take Orion away,' Remus thought. He had to remind himself that he had legal rights to Orion, as per the wishes of his dead mother. That thought was swiftly followed by the reminder of just how influential the Black family was. Lord Black could probably pay the right people to have his rights to Orion revoked.

"Grandfather, Grandmother," Sirius began but was interrupted by Lord Black.

"Sirius, Mr. Lupin, do come in. It seems we have a great deal to discuss," Arcturus Black III pronounced as he looked upon the two men.

Remus glanced at Sirius and noticed that Sirius had the same look of apprehension. Suddenly it felt as though both were back in Hogwarts and in trouble for a prank. Slowly both men entered the room and made themselves comfortable. Sirius took the high-backed chair across from Arcturus while Remus sat himself in a chair off to the side of the sofa.

"I am delighted to have another grandson, Sirius," Lady Black said in a voice full of pleasure. Then she surprised the grown men in the room by turning her blue-eyed gaze to Remus. "Mr. Lupin, will you please allow me to visit with my grandson and he with me? I will, of course, owl you or floo call you to confer schedules."

Lord Black blinked once as though in confusion before her words truly dawned on him. "Melania, my love, you are acting as though Mr. Lupin shall be keeping custody of Orion."

She looked away from a now tense Remus and smiled charmingly at her husband. "Well of course he is. Orion has obviously flourished under the care and attention of Mr. Lupin," she said, and Orion blushed with the praise.

Remus watched in confusion Lady Black seemed quite determined to champion him. It was the last thing he had expected. He was so sure that Sirius and his relatives would be eager to remove Orion from his care. He didn't really know how to handle this now that Sirius wanted to come to some sort of agreement of Fosterage and Lady Black seemed to agree that he was a good father for Orion.

"He has taken very good care of our little Orion," Melania continued. "It would only ruin things to remove Orion from Mr. Lupin's care," when it seemed that Arcturus would object she continued on. "Furthermore, I would think that Orion's mother must have left documentation to give Mr. Lupin custody of the child. No, darling, Orion must remain with Mr. Lupin, so long as Mr. Lupin is content with such an arrangement that is."

Remus slowly smiled at Melania. She was a goddess, he decided. She was a beautiful goddess. It was the only explanation for why she was able to look a man as powerful as Lord Black in the eye and champion Remus's cause. He was tempted to build the woman an altar. "Yes, My Lady Black, please, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to continue to raise Orion. And of course, you may visit him and he you," he told her.

"Splendid," Melania said with a bright smile and she looked to both boys who were smiling at her. "We'll have to have Leonis and Orion visit each other as well. I think they are already growing quite close," she said conversationally. "Arcturus my love, I am sure you can draw up the appropriate documents that will protect Mr. Lupin's rights to Orion while also protecting those of the House of Black."

Remus stole a glance at Lord Black and felt a moment of fear. It was clear that the man had initially had a very different idea in mind, but it seemed that for whatever reason, he didn't wish to upset his wife.

'She's definitely a goddess,' Remus thought feeling a little bit giddy as he realized that Lord Black was going to let his wife have her way in this matter.

"Once Mr. Lupin and Sirius have worked out an arrangement they deem suitable, then we'll take it to Marius to draw up," Lord Black proclaimed. "Will, that satisfy?"

Sirius nodded his agreement as did Remus. "Thank you, my love," Melania said with warmth in her voice. It was clear that she knew that her husband had capitulated to make her happy.

"Thank you, Lord Black," Remus said then to Arcturus. "I know that you probably have a great many reservations about leaving Orion in my care without fighting me for him, but I promise you that I love him very much and I would never willingly harm him."

Arcturus looked at Remus for a moment and nodded in acknowledgment of his words. "I am aware that you most likely have legal custody of the boy and it would take me more time and money than I want to spend to rip him from you, particularly as it would harm Orion in the process," Lord Black admitted. "Make no mistake though, some things shall change. For example, I know what you are. We will be discussing what you do with Orion during your full moon nights and whether that is suitable or not. I will not have Orion harmed by you unwillingly."

"Agreed," Remus said swiftly. "Believe me, Lord Black, I would end my own life if I hurt Orion unintentionally," Remus assured him. "He is precious to me."

Arcturus nodded. "Very well," he said then turned to his wife. "Melania love, perhaps you and the boys should return to the kitchen and see about the cookies you started baking.

Melania merely smiled and motioned for the children to follow her. At the door, Leonis looked back at Sirius and then he rushed back to him and put his arms around him in a hug. Sirius barely had the time to respond before Leonis had pulled back and returned to Melania and Orion. Sirius watched bemused as the three left the room. Remus smiled. It seemed that everything would be alright between Sirius and Leonis.

"Alright gentlemen," Arcturus said without preamble. "Let's begin sorting this out."

With those words, Sirius grimaced and Remus smiled. Sirius fetched parchment, ink, and quills from the escritoire in the corner of the room and he returned to the sofa with them. He sat upon the now vacated sofa and spread them out onto the coffee table. The next four hours were spent in debates, hammering out the details of the agreement that would allow Mr. Remus Lupin to keep custody of Orion Black without the Black family challenging him for said custody. The agreement also named Remus as a Vassal to Sirius Black, thus giving Remus the right to Foster Sirius's son by birth, Orion Remus deRais Black.

Remus didn't think for a second that Lord Black didn't understand why he had so easily capitulated to his terms. The terror over the thought of losing Orion had lingered over him for some time now. The chance to have it in writing that House Black would not just decide one day to rip his son out of his arms, out of their home, was too good to pass up on. He didn't care what fiery hoops Lord Black might put him through. So long as he got to keep his son, it would all be worth it. Orion was worth it.

Orion was worth everything.

He was grateful that the Vassalage was to Sirius and not to Lord Black. If it had been to Lord Black it could have transferred to the next Lord and the one after that. It being to Sirius meant that it would never transfer. It was good for Remus and Orion. Now with Remus as Sirius's Vassal, Remus would be protected from further potential harm from the House of Black. The Black family had never killed a Vassal of their own House and he felt confident that Arcturus Black wouldn't be the one to break that perfect record for anything less than the deepest of betrayals. Remus would never betray Sirius, so he knew he would be safe as his old friend's vassal.

Now Remus and Orion were safe under the banner of House Black, Remus would remain the primary custodian of Orion, and Sirius along with Arcturus and Melania would have access to Orion whenever they wished.

Remus couldn't quite believe how well everything had turned out. And to think, he owed it all to his son's chance meeting with Leonis Black outside of an antique shop.

* * *

 _Happy Holidays!_


End file.
